


Just Once: Kiss Collection

by Shinocchi



Series: Prompts & Requests [2]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Kissing, Drunken Kissing, First Kiss, French Kissing, Kissing, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Neck Kissing, Platonic Kissing, Rough Kissing, Surprise Kissing, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-04-08 04:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 23,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4291038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinocchi/pseuds/Shinocchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kiss Anthology! A collection of ficlets & drabbles for kisses between different pairings on different body parts.</p><p>#21 on the forehead: Noiz x Aoba<br/>#22 french kiss: Noiz x Aoba<br/>#23 finger kiss: Noiz x Aoba<br/>#24 firm kiss: Koujaku x Noiz<br/>#25 kiss in the rain: Koujaku x Noiz<br/>#26 kiss in the rain: Desire x Reason<br/>#27 back kiss: Clear x Aoba<br/>#28 chest kiss: Koujaku x Mizuki<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. on the lips [Noiz x Aoba]

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing a lot of different types of kiss on different body parts stories for different pairings so I thought of organizing all of them into one series so that it could be accumulated to work as a Kiss Anthology! :D
> 
> I've got a lot of them, so I'll update them slowly so as not to overwhelm you too much :)
> 
> Feel free to send me requests or prompts on my tumblr if you want :3

Ever since Noiz regained his sensations he’d started picking up small habits that often endeared Aoba to no end. But what Aoba loved most was when he tended to  _touch_  him out of nowhere, be it a passionate or a lighthearted one. He knew that that small action was stemmed from the need to  _feel_  Aoba; and above all, Noiz was curious, and he wanted to tell Aoba how much he loved him, and in turn, feeling Aoba’s love at the same time.

These small actions meant a lot to Aoba, and probably to Noiz as well.

 

***

 

“Have a good day at work.”

Noiz stood rooted, one hand on the doorknob, his eyes staring expectantly at Aoba. He was almost late for work, overslept thanks to their passionate activity the previous night and Aoba had to literally drag him into the bathroom to wake him up.

“What?” Aoba asked, about to return to the living room when he noticed Noiz was still staring at him, like a kid waiting for a hug.

“You forget something,” Noiz said casually. 

Shouldn’t it be the other way round?

Another few seconds later, Aoba gave out a quiet ‘oh’ before he paced towards his boyfriend and kissed him softly on the lips.

“Have a good day at work. I’ll be waiting for you to come home.”

Smiling satisfyingly, Noiz nodded and finally, stepped out of the house.

Little things like these often warmed Aoba’s heart in ways he couldn’t define. Noiz was, indeed, a growing brat.  _His brat_.

 

***

 

When Noiz came home, it was the same all over again. Whenever he launched himself at Aoba the moment he saw his boyfriend, Aoba knew instantly that he had a bad day, which would then urge him to pat him on the head, telling him that he had worked hard.

“Aoba,” Noiz said with a small voice, and Aoba knew instantly what he wanted.

Encircling his arms around his boyfriend’s neck, Aoba would then plant a small kiss on Noiz’s lips, patting him on the head and smiling gleefully at him. That was the least he could do for Noiz at that moment of time, but it was exactly what Noiz needed.

 

***

 

At first, Aoba thought that all these little actions were those typical mushy interactions couples often shared during the start of their relationship; but soon, he realized that these actions eventually turned into small habits, and before they knew it, it had become some sort of ritual.

Aoba was fine with it. More than fine, actually. What he wasn’t fine with was…

Noiz was staring at him from the doorway again as he busied himself with his Coil. It took only two seconds for Aoba to realize what he’d forgotten as he put his Coil down, strolled towards his waiting boyfriend and was about to give him a farewell kiss when he stopped.

“Say…” he mumbled as Noiz stared surprisingly at him. “You’ve grown taller.”

Noiz’s eyes brightened, which did nothing but deepening the frown in between Aoba’s eyebrows.

“Hmm, probably,” he said, his eyes wandered to stare at the ceiling before he shifted his gaze back at his boyfriend. “You sure it’s not you who’ve shrunk?”

His question was rewarded with a smack at the head as Aoba pulled his distance away from him, eyeing him from head to toe.

“Stop growing. If this continues it’d look like I’m the younger one in the relationship,” Aoba protested.

“Does it matter?” Noiz teased, pulling Aoba over by the waist and resting his chin on top of Aoba’s head.

“It doesn’t but still…” Aoba trailed off. 

“Probably it’s time to invest in some milk, don’t you think?” Noiz continued teasing as he wrapped Aoba’s entire body in his arms. “Now that you mention it, you really feel smaller now.”

“At this rate, I’d need to tiptoe to kiss you,” Aoba pouted but the intention to pull himself off his young boyfriend had now disappeared from his mind. 

He felt Noiz jolted slightly. Then, he heard a smirk.

“That’s cute.”

He wanted to retort further, but his boyfriend seemed happy, causing him to swallow his remaining words down.

Noiz might find it cute, but he needed to work harder…

…growing some height.

 


	2. on the chest [Noiz x Aoba]

When Aoba first witnessed the scars on Noiz’s hands, he was transfixed. Not because of how many there were, but because of how the brat never treated them properly. At first, he was confused; but after he realized what was really happening, he was scarred.

 

Listening to the sound of shower in the bathroom, Aoba offed his Coil, picking the towel up as he walked towards the door before he gave it a few knocks.

“Noiz? You forgot your towel.”

He heard the sound of the shower becoming smaller, then a few nearing footsteps before the door swung open, revealing a damped Noiz. 

“Thanks,” the younger man said, holding out a hand to take the towel but when he noticed Aoba was staring unblinkingly at him, he withdrew his hand and gave out a small smirk.

“Want to join me?" 

His suggestion pulled Aoba back from the realm of his thoughts effectively as the other took a step back, immediately shaking his hand furiously.

"No thanks, I’ve showered already,” Aoba said, attempting to throw the towel at Noiz but the nineteen-year-old was faster as he lurched forward and pulled Aoba over.

“Oi, stop! You’re getting me wet!” Aoba struggled, totally abandoning the towel which had just fallen on the floor with a thump.

“That’s the intention. Now that you’re wet, you could take another round of shower with me,” Noiz grinned, and mustering a greater strength, he pulled Aoba into his arms, effectively damping his boyfriend.

“Oh jeez, look what you’ve done,” Aoba reprimanded as he shivered slightly at the cold sensation he felt against his skin when their bodies were pressed against each other.

But instead of more retorts that Noiz had expected, what he received was a few seconds of silence. Looking down, he noticed that Aoba was, again, staring unblinkingly at his body. 

“What’s wrong?” He wanted to tease him further, to laugh at how his unclothed body had managed to rile Aoba up; but something wasn’t quite right with Aoba’s expression, and it didn’t match with the impression Noiz always had for a person who was aroused.

“They’re fading away,” Aoba muttered, tracing his fingers against Noiz’s bare chest and earning a small jolt out of the younger man upon feeling the ghost-like touches. 

Ignoring Noiz’s surprise, Aoba proceeded to plant a kiss on one of the fading scars he spotted.

“Soon, they’ll be gone,” he continued, finally looking up at Noiz.

Noiz merely gave him a smile.

“But they’ll stay,” he said, holding Aoba’s hand in his and placing it against his chest, where the heart beat. “Here. I’ll remember them.”

That immediately garnered an effect out of Aoba as he blushed, turning away from Noiz’s gaze. But the furious heartbeats he felt against his palm was too hard to miss. For some reason, he’d managed to arouse  _something_ out of Noiz again. But whatever reason that was, it didn’t matter. What mattered was Noiz was properly growing; he was learning from his experiences and Aoba was sure that he’d become a man of his own in no time.

He’d love to witness that miraculous moment - by his side.

 


	3. hot, steamy kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

When Aoba actually thought about it, Noiz was probably addicted to kisses. He remembered how his young boyfriend caught him in a surprise kiss back in Platinum Jail; and even though the brat wasn’t too much of a skilled kisser, he’d effectively sent Aoba into a trance. It could be because he was transfixed with the piercing on his tongue back then, or simply it was because he was kissing… Noiz.

 

And now, as they pressed their chests against each other, clearly feeling their heartbeats with the thought of their first kiss wandering back into his mind, he broke into a small chuckle.

“What?” Noiz asked, momentarily distracted as he stopped his trails of kisses on Aoba’s cheek.

“Ah, nothing,” Aoba quickly stifled his laughs. “I just remember the first time we kissed and how awkward it was.”

Noiz merely gave him a confused stare, then, his lips curled into a small smirk.

“Why are you thinking about the past when you can immerse in what I’m doing to you now?” Noiz asked, his tone playful yet feverish. 

Aoba wasn’t sure if he even wanted to answer that question. He probably didn’t even know the answer himself. Noiz seemed to read his mind because the next second, he felt a pair of hands wrapping tightly around his torso, literally and almost knocking the air out of him. 

“Seems like I need to distract you better so that you could stop thinking so much.”

That was the last thing he heard before Noiz engulfed him into a deep kiss. Unlike the soft, light pecks he’d received on the lips, this time, Noiz went straight to the point, biting on his lower lips, not hard enough to bleed but enough for Aoba to feel the tingling pain as he returned Noiz’s hug instinctively.

It took only a while for Noiz to plunge his tongue in, a small moan escaped his mouth, caught in surprise. Sometimes, he kinda missed Noiz’s tongue piercing - he remembered how it used to create sounds in his mouth when it hit his teeth, and how the metal sensation sank into his tongue created a sort of tingling pleasure that traveled down to his crotch. 

But the more Noiz sucked on his tongue, the more he threw that nostalgia aside, now completely and overwhelmingly immersed in the sweet addiction Noiz was giving him. He could feel the numb sensation at the tip of his tongue when Noiz sucked a bit too hard on it; and he could feel how their tongues pressed against each other, yearning to feel more of each other’s warmth, more of each other’s passion. And the deeper their kiss was, the  _more_  he wanted from Noiz, urging him to pull Noiz closer so that he could push his tongue further into his boyfriend’s mouth.

They only separated in between their kisses for air but their break barely lasted for seconds before they found their lips pressed against each other again, their tongues furiously intertwining with each other and their moans unconsciously leaking out from their mouths and into the other’s throat. There was nothing they cared now but how they felt each other on their tongues, the wet sound produced as a result from the hard kissing did nothing to slow them down; and soon, both of their heads were clouded with want and nothing else.

The first time when they kissed, it was awkward; but now, it was passionate, fiery, furious, steamy,  _hot_. 

Definitely one of the best distractions for Aoba.

 


	4. kiss in the rain [Noiz x Aoba]

“Hmm…”

Staring at the two shirts he’d laid out on the bed, Aoba supported his chin with his hand as a deep scowl formed in between his eyebrows.

“Ren, which do you think is better?”

As if on cue, Ren jumped onto the bed, eyes shifting between the two options. It took him a minute to finally point at the white-colored shirt as he looked up at Aoba.

“I think white suits Aoba more than red.”

“You think so?” Aoba reconfirmed. Truth be told, he agreed with Ren, the only thing stopping him to finally make his decision being his own self-conscious.

“By the way, Aoba,” Ren called out again while Aoba continued pondering.

“Hm?”

“If you don’t go now, we’ll be late for the appointment.”

“What time is it now?”

“10.45 a.m.”

Which was… 15 minutes to his appointment with Noiz.

Eh.

“You should’ve told me earlier!”

 

Frantically grabbing the clothing from the bed, Aoba ran into the bathroom, coming back few minutes later as he grabbed his bag and ran down the stairs, almost tripping when he missed a step.

Noiz had left the house even before the sun rise this morning for an important teleconference call. Aoba vaguely remembered him giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek before he left the room. It was one hour later that he finally got himself out of bed, glancing around the empty space of his room, suddenly feeling awkward for being left alone on a weekend. Usually, by now, he’d find a clingy boyfriend – either wrapping him into a hug so firm he’d have to shun him away so that he could even move; or staring at him as he made breakfast for them in the kitchen – but now that none of these were within proximity, he couldn’t help but give out a soft sigh, suddenly feeling bad for even pushing Noiz away when he tended to become too attached to him.

But his loneliness was short-lived because as soon as he made his way out of the bathroom, his Coil rang and the instance he saw Noiz’s name on the hologram screen, he broke into an involuntary smile.

“You’re finally up.” Noiz’s greeting wiped the grin away from Aoba’s face, replacing it with a pout instead as he hugged his pillow and settled himself on the bed.

“That’s not really what I want to hear so early in the morning, you know,” he complained while Noiz’s curved the corner of his lips slightly, just visible for Aoba to see.

“How about, ‘do you want to meet me in town today?’” Noiz said.

The trick worked.

“I’ll be done with my meeting in an hour time so I’m thinking if you want to join me on a food-hunting mission downtown,” Noiz continued, without waiting for Aoba to respond. He already knew what Aoba was about to say anyway, the astonished look on his face being the best indicator.

“On?”

“What time?” Aoba finally asked, completely abandoning his pillow now as he looked at Noiz with a huge beam on his face. It had been a while since they explored town together, the mere idea thrilled him greatly.

“Say about…” He saw Noiz’s eyes move to the corner of the screen to check on the time before he returned his gaze on Aoba. “11.00 a.m.? I’ll meet you at our usual café. Oh, and,” Noiz shifted his gaze to another screen on the left. “bring an umbrella. Seems like it’s gonna rain.”

“Deal.”

So that was it. He wanted to avoid having Noiz waiting for him as much as he could because he wasn’t very fond of unpunctuality himself. He knew Noiz wouldn’t mind anyway but that wasn’t exactly why he wanted to be on time. He’d missed the chance to bid him a proper farewell this morning; and the last thing he needed was to waste more of their very limited weekend for being late.

The café where they will be meeting up was a prominent place in the city, its outstanding architecture made it hard to miss. As soon as Aoba turned a corner leading to that very place, he could see Noiz sitting outside the shop, flipping through some of his documents with a serious expression on his face. Without wasting more time, he ran straight up to him, panting heavily as he grabbed Noiz on the shoulder.

“I-I’m so s-sorry,” he said, trying to catch his breath at the same time.

“No problem.” Standing up, Noiz pointed his chin at the seat opposite him. “Sit down, I’ve ordered something for you.”

He  _knew_  that Noiz wouldn’t mind but time was crucial for him, even if it was only ten minutes.

Sipping quietly on the caramel milk tea Noiz had ordered for him, he stared as Noiz flipped through more of his documents before he kept all of them away, finally fixing his eyes on his boyfriend. He never had a proper look at Noiz before he left this morning – his mind too groggy to even function – but now that he was wide awake, he noticed that Noiz was in his three-piece suit, properly groomed and his face was… as gorgeous as he remembered it to be. Sometimes he wondered exactly how anyone could stand him. Not only that he had this indifferent air around him that often did nothing but made him appear to be even harder to approach than he already was, but he also had a type of charm that could easily pave ways for more business opportunities. Aoba didn’t even need anyone to tell him that his boyfriend was also a great convincer. If anyone,  _he_ ’d be the person who should know best.

“D-done with work?” Aoba asked, attempting to break the silence between them.

Noiz gave out a hum before he crossed his fingers and smirked at him.

“I’m all yours now.”

Aoba almost choked on his drink. A smooth talker, indeed.

“By the way, are you done?” Noiz said. He was obviously done ages ago while he waited for Aoba but as soon as he asked, Aoba took a mouthful of his drink down his throat and settled the cup on the table.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go.”

Standing up, Noiz held his hand out at Aoba, who blushed a little before he took it. After months of residing in Germany, he’d realized that public display of affection wasn’t exactly anything too peculiar here, and sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder if this was the reason why Noiz was always so blunt with his actions to begin with.

 

***

“Looks like it’s gonna rain.”

The moment they stepped out of the shop, they heard a barely audible storm from a distance, immediately causing Aoba to look up at the sky just to realize that dark clouds had formed on top of them.

“Did you bring the umbrella I asked?”

Oh, crap. He was rushing his way out of the house and he totally forgot about what Noiz had asked of him, the matter being the least of his concern.

Noiz did not need his reply to figure out the answer as he continued.

“It’s fine, we can bu—“

But he was two seconds too late. By the time they were in the middle of the street, heavy raindrops started to fall on them and then they were running across the street, under the rain, only stopping when they were under the shelter of a bus station.

They were both soaked wet. Aoba could feel the water dripping down from the top of his head to his toes as he wiped the water off his face with the back of his hand. Talk about bad luck. First, he was late for his appointment with Noiz. Now, they were stuck in the rain, without an umbrella that Noiz had mindfully asked him to bring along.

He felt like cursing himself.

“You okay?”

Noiz obviously noticed the difficult look on his face. When he used his finger to wipe the water off Aoba’s cheek, Aoba jolted slightly before he turned around to smile at him.

“Fine,” he simply mumbled.

He was so distracted with his own frustration that he didn’t notice that Noiz was staring intently at him, a perplexed look gracing his features, and he only turned around to look at his boyfriend again when he noticed the a-moment-too-long silence spread between them.

“W-what?”

“Sexy.”

He couldn’t even understand what Noiz meant by that but he didn’t have time to figure it out anyway because then, Noiz was grasping on his waist, pulling him closer and pressing their drenched bodies together as he gripped on his chin.

“Did you do that on purpose?” Noiz asked, his husky voice too pronounced to tell Aoba where this was leading to.

“Do what on purpose?”

Whatever Noiz wanted to say must be hard to express with words. He was wet, cold, and shivering. But the kiss on his lips was warm, soft, and tantalizing. He was used to Noiz catching him off guard like this but this was probably the first time they had kissed when they were still fully-clothed – albeit wet – under the rain. He could feel droplets of water hitting on his skin. Even though they were sheltered, the wind was evidently too strong to even protect them from the rain. But above all, he could clearly feel Noiz’s furious heartbeats against his chest, and he was sure that he wasn’t any better either.

He was expecting Noiz to go further, to plunge his tongue into his mouth but all Noiz did was licking on his lips, kissing the cold water from his face and wrapping him into a firmer hug that made him feel slightly less cold.

“Cold?”

“Fine.”

When they separated their hug, Noiz’s eyes shifted down to his body again. Aoba was aware of how wet he was, but what he wasn’t aware of was how the choice of his shirt had made every part of his body shape appear more…  _prominent_  than it already was. Thanks to the color of his shirt, Noiz could clearly see his skin beneath the thin material and Aoba didn’t even need him to spell it out to know how greatly turned on he was at that very sight.

“You obviously did that on purpose,” Noiz smirked again, not even trying to hide the slightest of his delight.

“Stop staring.” About to smack Noiz on the head, Aoba stopped when he saw Noiz taking his jacket off. And then, that said jacket was on him, covering most of his body and warming him up effectively.

“I don’t think I want anyone to see how erotic you look like now,” Noiz said, still with the grin on his face.

“But how about you?”

“I’m fine.”

Unfortunately, Aoba wasn’t exactly fine with that idea. The last thing he wanted was for Noiz to fall sick because of  _his_  carelessness but at the same time he also knew that there was no way he could do anything to stop his boyfriend from worrying about him. As they sat on the bench, Aoba intertwined their fingers together as he leaned against Noiz’s arm.

“Let’s make hot soup when we go home later,” he hummed, hearing Noiz’s small chuckle in response.

“That’d have to wait. I have more urgent matters I’d like to attend to first.”

He didn’t even have the strength to retort any further. Noiz’s words had a double meaning to them.

And by now, Aoba had known him well enough to understand exactly what he actually meant, even without the need to spell them out loud.

 


	5. gentle peck [Noiz x Aoba]

The fact that Noiz had risked his life protecting Aoba when he had just regained his ability to feel sometimes still scared Aoba immensely.

Not only that he had to endure the tremendous  _pain_  of having a few of his bones crushed, he also had to deal with what came  _after_  – the treatment he had to go through and, inevitably,  _more_  pain.

He could never forget the smile Noiz wore on his face when he hovered over him, when he saw blood trickling down his forehead, and when Noiz ultimately slumped on him, he swore his heart stopped beating for a second.

It never occurred to him, ever. But the thought of  _losing_  Noiz wasn’t something he wanted to consider. However, when he finally put his thoughts into it, probably that incident was necessary after all. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know how much they meant to each other; and of course, they wouldn’t end up like this now.

 

There were times when he would walk into a room where Noiz was sitting with his Coil screen up but the moment he saw Aoba walk in, he’d closed it, keeping the distraction away; and there were also times when Aoba would walk into a quiet room, where Noiz was still sleeping, an inaudible snore escaping his lips. It was one of the rare times when Aoba noticed how innocent-looking and how…  _young_  Noiz was. There were a lot of things that Aoba never thought of Noiz – he never considered about why he turned out to be the person he was today; why he acted in certain ways; and even why he only ate certain food. These considerations only occurred to him when he delved into the deepest of his thoughts. But even without Scrap, it didn’t matter to Aoba, anyway. What truly mattered was who Noiz was with him now, and he didn’t need to know about his past to define who he really thought Noiz was.

Today, however, he walked into a quiet room, the only sounds being the tickling of the clock on the wall and the quiet snore from Noiz. Carefully closing the door behind him, Aoba sneaked to Noiz’s bedside and settled himself on a chair once he put the packet of food he had brought for him on the bedside table.

This was definitely not the first time he’d seen Noiz asleep like this. Even when they were in Glitter, he’d caught sight of a sleeping Noiz – the first time he did he literally stared at the nineteen-year-old for a few seconds before he looked away awkwardly – and for him, this was the one time that truly showed how precious Noiz was.

Not knowing what else to do besides waiting for Noiz to wake up, Aoba decided to stare at him. Starting from his face, he gazed at the piercings on the bridge of his nose, the ones on his eyebrow, the ones at the bottom of his lips, wondering whether Noiz felt even a slight twinge of pain when he got them. Then, he proceeded to stare at his hair, enduring the temptation to touch it, to feel its softness against his fingertips when the color itself had already told Aoba enough of how refined it’d feel on his skin. If Noiz was awake, he was sure that the brat would give him one of his signature smirk, perhaps even a few of his prominent teases that would drive Aoba up the wall and into a corner. He never disliked any of these, of course. He was just not used to it. Heck, perhaps he would never get used to how upfront Noiz could be.

He had never taken a good look at Noiz’s face before either, their life had been a constant chase and run. But now that he had the time, he couldn’t help but notice how good-looking this brat was. He was only nineteen and he would only become even more gorgeous with time. Truth be told, Aoba wasn’t even sure if he could handle it. It did not only concern his pride, but how exactly does one handle the sight of such an attractive man every day, every moment?

Feeling the heat on his face, Aoba quickly shook his head, attempting to shake the embarrassing thoughts off before his gaze stopped at the bandages on Noiz’s body. Noiz had told him that it didn’t hurt anymore. It was a huge relief. But every time Aoba saw the scars when Noiz changed his bandages, it still reminded him awfully of the time he’d gotten all those scars on himself. The guilt he felt within him wasn’t something he could easily dismiss, before he knew it, he was picking Noiz’s bandaged hand up.

Noiz’s skin felt rough in his. It was somewhat bigger than his, slightly jabbing his pride but it was warm regardless, urging him to press the back of it against his face.

Probably Noiz was cold towards mostly everyone around him because of the fact that he lacked the ability to feel; hence, causing him to not know how to interact with people. Probably that was why Aoba thought that his skin would feel cold as well. But now that he literally felt the warmth against his cheeks, all of those previous contemplations were wiped clean off his mind.

Noiz was warm. He probably wasn’t very expressive, probably wasn’t very good with words, but he was still a young, nineteen-year-old brat who was still growing. And across time, Aoba genuinely hoped that he would see more of the wonders of this world, and that he, as a person, would be as warm as how Aoba was feeling him right now.

Pressing his lips against the back of Noiz’s hand, Aoba allowed the gentle kiss to linger for a while longer before he felt slight  _movements_  from the hand he was holding. Alarmed, he was about to pull it away when the same hand grasped on his, halting his actions.

“So you do that every time I’m asleep?”

Aoba didn’t even need Noiz to point it out to know how red his face was right now. He wasn’t going to deny that he’d been staring at him while Noiz was asleep but he wasn’t going to admit that he’d find him endearing out loud either.

“Sorry. Did I wake you up?” he said, intending to divert the topic.

“I’ve been awake since you walked into the room,” Noiz responded with a smirk.

“Y-you—“

Then, Noiz released Aoba’s hand and instead, raised it to trace on Aoba’s cheekbones, feeling the warmth against his fingertips. And then, before he could figure out what to say, Noiz was sitting up and leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek, effectively causing him to swallow his intended words down his throat.

“Probably I should pretend to be asleep more often. Who knows, I might hear someone spilling out their most inner thoughts.”

He was right, after all. He could never get used to Noiz’s bluntness. But perhaps he could at least  _try_  to figure out a counterattack so that he wouldn’t be gaping at Noiz the way he did now, looking like a complete idiot. But those can wait, they had the time after all. What he can’t wait now, was to return Noiz’s earnest kiss. This time, on the lips.

 


	6. on the back [Koujaku x Noiz]

There were instances where people would point at his tattoos, praising at how gorgeous they looked on him. It shouldn’t come off as anything bad, but if these compliments were intended for  _Koujaku_ , then it was a different story altogether. 

 

He knew what was gone was gone and there was no reason and no need for him to cling onto his past any longer. But there were things he couldn’t control and often, he found these supposedly meaningless ‘things’ to make their way into his mind a bit too easy. Before he knew it, his self-consciousness would tend to consume him from the inside. Instead of a simple ‘thank you’, he’d brush all the compliments about the scars on his body off and refused to attend to more of the topic any longer. 

He simply couldn’t help it.

Perhaps that was why he was so angry with Noiz; or rather, he couldn’t understand why the brat needed to have so many marks on his body. He knew he was in no position at all to judge a person based on what they did to their bodies but every time the brat entered his line of vision, he couldn’t help but clicked his tongue, the frustration he was more than familiar with now making its way back into his nerves. 

And the next thing he knew, he was throwing insults at the brat, who did nothing wrong at all. 

He had no reason at all to shout at him, let alone reprimand him. And he knew that. He knew that he shouldn’t allow his temper to get the better of him. So he tried to suppress it. He tried.

And slowly, he became more receptive. It was Noiz’s own decision. He should respect that. 

 

***

 

He woke up with a start. Breathing heavily, he sat up, burying his face in his hands as he tried to regulate his breathing. Nightmares were his frequent visitors and he knew the source of it. If anyone was to blame for all the overwhelming pressure he had been experiencing, it’d be him.

It took a while for him to calm down completely as he felt his body drenched in cold sweat. Clicking his tongue, he was about to fall back to bed when he felt a weight against his back.

“Again?" 

He didn’t intend to wake him up. But he assumed that his rough movements must have accidentally woken Noiz up. 

"Go back to sleep,” he said, wanting to turn around and push the younger man down but before he could do that, Noiz wrapped his arms around his torso, limiting his movements.

“Just a bit.”

The room was so quiet that the only sound audible was the sound of their breathing. He didn’t know what to do, his own composure still in the midst of regaining its pride. Probably they could stay like this for a while, and when the brat fell asleep again he would…

But the thought was wiped off his mind almost immediately when he felt a soft sensation pressing against his back.

“N-Noiz?” he called out, trying not to sound too loud as if they weren’t the only ones in the room.

“I love these,” Noiz mumbled against his skin, instantly sending chills down his spine. 

“C-cut it out,” he stuttered. He could clearly feel Noiz tracing soft sporadic kisses along his back, along his tattoos.

_They would contaminate you._

…was what he was trying to say.

But Noiz seemed to know better. Giving a final kiss at the end of his tattoo, he rested his head on Koujaku’s shoulder as he gave out a quiet sigh.

“It doesn’t matter how you got these,” he said quietly, but loud enough for Koujaku to capture every single word. “The fact that you’re still alive now is a fact good enough to tell me that you’re living with them, and you’ll continue doing so for the rest of your life." 

Sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder if the brat could read minds; or probably he was simply too easy to read.

But Noiz was right. He had come so far, there was no reason for him to give up now.

And like what Noiz said, he’d live with them, embrace them, and become stronger with time.

 


	7. neck kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

He couldn’t quite remember what happened after he’d left his luggage by the door after the one-week long business trip - all he knew was he was launching himself at Aoba, who’d broke into a bright smile the moment he saw him walking through the door. He couldn’t quite remember how they ended up on the bed, skin stuck on each other like magnets, warmth so addictive it was almost sinful to let each other go. 

All he knew was that he was home now and everything else could wait; even if a meteor was to fall upon Earth now he’d never ever wanted to take his hands off Aoba.

“I missed you,” Noiz put his weight on his boyfriend, hovering over him, eyes fixed penetratingly at his like a hungry hawk before he leaned in to nuzzle his cheek against Aoba’s. “I missed you so much.”

“You did it,” Aoba complimented beside his ear. “Welcome home.”

All he ever wanted now was to envelop Aoba in his warmth, to have Aoba’s warmth enclose the whole of him. One week is too long; way too long. No longer able to hold back, he kissed Aoba against his neck - tiny, teasing ones that eventually evolved into hard, passionate sucks. He made sure to leave marks, as many as he could. And in return, he’d let Aoba do the same to him. As much as he wanted. 


	8. forehead kiss [Koujaku x Aoba]

Being in a Rib team meant exposing oneself to unpredictable troubles, unforeseeable fights, and undeterminable injuries. Being the  _leader_  of a Rib team meant exposing oneself to occasional troubles, fights and injuries for oneself  _and_  also for one’s team members.

Aoba had known about that ever since he found out that Koujaku had taken over the grueling responsibility as Benishigure’s leader. He trusted Koujaku; he always did. Even when Koujaku was to attract unexpected hassles to himself, he’d manage them well, protecting everyone including himself. His will to survive, along with his strength, were what raised him to be one of the more fearsome Rib team leaders on the island. Aoba trusted him, of course he did. Who else would he trust if not Koujaku? Koujaku - who’d returned to the island after years of separation, fulfilling his promise with Aoba, even though he’d returned with a body of unsightly scars.

It’d be easier to convince himself if he was just another friend of Koujaku’s. But he wasn’t. He was Koujaku’s childhood friend, best friend. He was also Koujaku’s _boyfriend_.

Every morning before they left home, he’d unconsciously make sure to utter a “Stay safe” at Koujaku before they parted ways. There wasn’t much he could do but to make sure that his words - no matter how small, how few they were - reached Koujaku, so that they could, in a way or other, act as a good luck charm for him. So that if Koujaku was to face with any danger, he’d remember his promise to Aoba - “ _Stay safe”._ Koujaku knew Aoba meant well. But even so, he couldn’t help but feel a seize in his heart whenever Aoba said that. He knew Aoba trusted him; he also knew that Aoba wanted so very much to be by his side so that he could look after him and support him if needed. Just like how he had always wanted to do for Aoba.

He couldn’t give Aoba a definite promise. He could never predict what was to happen everyday in his life - he could never tell who would be after his life today; he could never know how many scars he’d need to sustain to keep himself alive. But at the very least, he could smile at Aoba - a perfectly confident, genuine gesture - and kiss him on the forehead, a behavior Aoba knew was meant to reassure him.

“I’ll be fine.” He would say before he ruffled him aggressively on the hair, effortlessly soothing the strained atmosphere between them while Aoba swept his hand away, frowning and pouting and complaining all at the same time.

And Aoba would trust him, again and again. No matter how much time were to pass, he would always do. Because he knew that was the biggest and most effective good luck charm he could ever give Koujaku.


	9. cheek kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Aoba is the nursery guardian and Noiz is one of the more disobedient kid in the place.

“How many times do I need to tell you to stay put?” Aoba reprimanded, one hand opening the first-aid kit, the other holding onto Noiz’s tiny hand, stopping him from running away. Noiz was wearing a profile that spelled nothing but irritation. When Aoba turned around to look at him, he quickly looked away, a deep scowl in between his eyebrows and a pout that was too obvious to miss.

“C’mon, I can’t treat your bruise if you don’t look here,” Aoba urged. He gave Noiz two minutes. When the five-year-old child refused to oblige, he let out a heavy sigh. Forcibly pulling him over, Noiz found himself losing control, tumbling straight into his guardian’s lap and was about to look up to portray more sign of displease when Aoba pressed the hot pack against his face, halting every one of his intended action.

“Stay still,” Aoba demanded with a stern voice before his features softened as he gazed concernedly at the bruise on Noiz’s left cheek. “Look what you have done.”

“It’s not my fault,” Noiz mumbled under his breath, regretted the moment he blurted those words out. 

Aoba froze then. Giving Noiz a momentary stare, he broke into a gentle smile, then pressing the hot packet on his face again, his gesture as gentle as his smile. 

“You returned the fight,” Aoba said, tranquil in his voice. “You hurt people. Hurting people is wrong.”

“So I shouldn’t fight back and allow them to beat me up?” Noiz retorted. 

“You should tell a teacher, or  _me_ ,” Aoba was quick to respond.

“That’s just running away,” Noiz defended again. 

Stopping, Aoba put the hot packet aside, cupped Noiz’s face and looked earnestly into his eyes. 

“Noiz, you need to remember this - sometimes, fighting back doesn’t mean you’re strong. Being able to do the right thing that’d benefit  _both_  parties is.”

Returning Aoba’s gaze with a passive stare, Noiz avoided his eyes, hesitated for mere seconds before he started, “It doesn’t matter anyway. Even if I am to fight, I won’t lose, because I can’t feel pa–”

Aoba halted him then, pulling him over and planted a firm, long kiss on his cheek, where the bruise was. 

“I know.” He took a deep breath, his lips lingered on Noiz’s skin. “I know. But that’s not the right way to do. I’m sorry you have to face this.”

Aoba didn’t need to apologize at all. He couldn’t understand why he did. But then his guardian was kissing his cheek again, and at that moment in time, thousands of questions flooded his mind - questions that he had no answers to.


	10. kiss along the hips [Noiz x Aoba]

Noiz was, without doubt, extremely attentive towards every one of Aoba’s actions. He’d quickly noted that Aoba was a right-handed, promptly noticed the small pout Aoba would wear on his face whenever he was pulled deep into his own thoughts or when he intended to portray a sense of displease without being too obvious. He knew every single action and expression of his boyfriend to the extent that he’d probably have every one of them memorized.

Hence, when Aoba started staring a bit longer than usual into the mirror for a few mornings in a row, he quickly detected that something was bothering Aoba - one which he wasn’t prepared to share with Noiz yet.

He’d wait for Aoba to spill the beans at him, but a week after he’d noticed this peculiar behavior, he finally confronted Aoba, his initial curiosity replaced with intense concern.

“What’s wrong?” He caught Aoba the moment Aoba joined him on the dining table. As soon as Aoba served him his coffee, Noiz’d noticed him staring at his own cup of coffee, completely out of focus before he stood up speedily, then heading straight into his bedroom without another word.

When Noiz made his way to Aoba’s room, he wasn’t surprised to see Aoba standing in front of the mirror again; this time, lifting his shirt up and exposing half of his torso as he scowled at his own reflection.

“Say, Noiz,” Aoba started slowly, without looking at him.

“Oh, so you  _do_  noticed that I’m here,” Noiz teased, cutting him off.

Aoba’s scowl only deepened. “I’m being serious here.”

Acknowledging the severeness of the issue, Noiz kept his jocular self away, pacing towards Aoba instead, putting up a supportive stance to help Aoba out if he ever needed any.

“What’s the matter?”

“Come here,” Aoba grasped his wrist, pulling him to stand with him in front of the mirror. “Do you think I’ve gained some weight these days?”

Noiz’s jaw dropped. Instead of looking into the mirror as what Aoba had instructed, he turned his head in such a rapid way to look at Aoba. 

“Wh-what?” Aoba asked, noticing the awkwardness that’d spread in between them.

“Are you… serious about that question?” Noiz asked instead, still finding it hard to believe.

“Uhuh,” Aoba nodded, shifting his attention back to his half-naked torso. “I just feel like… I’ve gained more meat here?” he ended by grabbing a handful of the flesh on his abdomen. “I don’t remember feeling so… compact here.”

It took almost the entire of Noiz’s nerves to stop himself from laughing. Immediately faking a cough, he patted Aoba’s hand on his stomach away, replacing it with his instead.

“Do you want the truth?” he asked, the suggestive tone in his voice told Aoba that he could either be serious with wanting to assure him  _or_  he could be having fun laughing at his despair at the moment. 

“That’s why I asked you. I trust you,” Aoba said, without knowing what to expect from Noiz as an answer. 

Noiz purposely took his time, delicately caressing the skin on Aoba’s abdomen and ultimately placing both of his hands on the other’s hips.

“No one knows your body better than me,” he said, a statement both of them knew was true. “And so I’m telling you that you look fine just the way you are.”

“That means I  _really_  gained some weight,” Aoba grumbled.

“It’s not entirely a bad thing, isn’t it?” Noiz disagreed. “You were too skinny then. It’s good that you’re gaining more meat now.”

Aoba eyed Noiz suspiciously, then shifting his gaze to look at his own reflection in the mirror. “…You sure?”

Noiz let out a smirk as a response. Moving himself to stand in between Aoba and the mirror, he slid his way down, only stopping when he had Aoba’s stomach right in front of him. 

The soft kiss Aoba felt on his hips almost made him jump if Noiz hadn’t been gripping firmly on them.

“Positive,” he murmured against his skin.

He knew it’d be pointless asking Noiz anyway, not like Noiz would mind even if he was to gain more weight than he already had. He’d thought that it was a disaster; that he could possibly be indulging too much in the paradise that was Noiz’s constant affection to the extent that he’d lost his own self-control. But judging from the felicitous features Noiz was wearing on his face, perhaps it was Noiz’s intention after all - to make sure that Aoba was happy, well-fed and perfectly healthy when he was here, in Germany, a place that was once foreign to him; even when he was to gain some weight in return.

 


	11. romantic kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

It was four days before that Noiz asked Aoba if he wanted to be his partner for a formal company event - an annual dinner, as far as Aoba could digest from the abundance of complicated formality Noiz explained to him. It was three days before the significant day that Aoba had learned how to dance from Noiz. He had his own doubts at first, but the determination to be the best partner on that day - regardless of being a dancing partner or simply just a dining partner - had him working far harder than Noiz had expected, resulting in a speedy improvement from a complete newbie to a person who’d grasped a basic ballroom dance steps in less than a week.

Noiz was smart as a whip himself; but he could say the same with Aoba. He probably lost to him just so slightly when it came to sophistication but Aoba’s strict persistence was one that Noiz admired and loved. He wasn’t at all worried when his father asked him to choose the most fitting partner to accompany him for that night.

Even though he’d expected  obnoxious side-eyeing from his father - probably silently fretting about how he was about to disgrace his family name under the eyes of crucial people of status again - but Aoba’s elegance when he brought himself into the ballroom, then to the dining place had managed to keep his family from making too much racket.

When the music signaling the starting of the dance party echoed across the room, Noiz stood up first, lending his hand towards Aoba, who returned his gesture with a graceful smile. 

“May I?” Noiz asked, a complete gentleman in posture, accompanied by a perfect, well-trained mannerism as Aoba took his head, then allowing him to lead the way towards the center of the dance floor.

“I have to admit that I’m pretty impressed with your progress,” Noiz complimented as they started their steps with the beats of the music. “Three days to completely master the basic steps. That’s my record.”

“Don’t you dare underestimate me,” Aoba smirked. “I can do it if I’m serious about it.”

“I know,” Noiz agreed before he gave Aoba a lofty smile. “That’s why I’m so head over heels for you.”

Even with his exceedingly handsome outlook, what with his hair tied into a high ponytail and a set of white suit that matched his body shape perfectly, the faint hint of blush that shaded Aoba’s features told Noiz that this was undeniably the Aoba he knew - regardless of how much his appearance was to change.

Completely controlled by his raw instinct, he leaned forward, just when the next song started playing, and murmured into Aoba’s ear.

“Let’s make a move.”

Aoba’s eyes widened. “Where to?”

“You shall see.”

Noiz’s intended destination turned out to be the balcony. As they leaned against the edge, Aoba held his head high, catching a glimpse of the twinkle of a few stars before he inhaled deeply and exhaled a relieved breath.

“Phew, that’s done, right?” he asked Noiz. It’s been a busy three days. They’d spent hours practicing not only dance moves but various formalities as well, leaving Aoba catching his breath at every end of the day.

“Yeah. All done,” Noiz agreed. Shifting himself closer to Aoba, he picked his hand up, entangling their fingers together before he lifted it to kiss the back of it. “You’ve done extremely well.”

“So do you,” Aoba grinned as he put his weight against Noiz’s arm. When Noiz moved slightly, he looked up, just in time to see his boyfriend eyeing him with a pair of gaze that enchanted nothing but want. 

Responding to the hint, he closed his eyes; and soon enough, he felt Noiz’s more than familiar lips on his, pecking him slowly and ultimately pulling him into a tight embrace. 

They could still hear the music from the ballroom; but now, this moment belonged to theirs and only theirs.

 


	12. on the collarbone [Koujaku x Aoba]

When they were young and foolish, Koujaku used to spend the night at Aoba’s house, often when Tae was to come back late. It wasn’t something unusual for them; at a point in time, it even became a routine - one that Aoba genuinely looked forward to. Having Koujaku by his side was like having an unbreakable shield; he didn’t need to be afraid if someone was to approach him and bully him again because he knew that Koujaku would always be there to chase them away. Koujaku was his hero; his back had always been blindingly striking to him. He was once a person Aoba would want to become - he wanted to be as strong as Koujaku, as fearless as Koujaku; and perhaps one day,  _he_  could be Koujaku’s hero too.

Years after he’d first met Koujaku, lost him, and reunited with him again, Aoba found himself in an utterly ironic situation where instead of Koujaku staying over his place for the most times,  _he_  became the one who spent most of his time at Koujaku’s place - often having dinner, then stretching the stay till late night, midnight, and eventually, the next morning. As time passed, it became a routine; one that was very much opposite from how it once used to be when they were just kids. Perhaps Tae had noticed how different their relationship was now as compared to how they once were; or else she wouldn’t have given her yes in such a casual way when Aoba informed her about his frequent stay-overs at the hairdresser’s. Perhaps it was about time to tell her. They’d discussed about it, planned for it; but time was all they needed and before they knew it, they’d stretched it across the mile. 

They weren’t in a rush anyway, time was all they had after all.

It was yet another morning with Aoba waking up to the bright sunlight pouring into the room through the half-opened window, birds chirping echoed loudly by the window sill as he forced a single eye open, attempting to adjust his sight to the sudden brightness. Koujaku was still soundly asleep when he stole a glimpse at him. Yawning as quietly as he could, he sat up, head drooping, as he stared blankly ahead, his mind a piece of white. 

He almost jumped when he heard movement behind him as a pair of arms hugged him from behind not long after.

“You’re earlier than me today,” Koujaku mumbled against his back, face pressed against it and Aoba felt goosebumps all over him when Koujaku’s breath hit his barely awake skin.

“You slept too late yesterday,” Aoba retorted. Koujaku’s embrace was warm, as warm as the sunlight now illuminating most of the room. It reminded Aoba was his eyes, his passion, his temper; it reminded Aoba of  _Koujaku_.

“I’ve been wanting to say this but…” Koujaku’s sudden shift of topic had Aoba perk a curious eyebrow at him. As he looked over his shoulder, he saw Koujaku glancing at his back, then looking up to meet his eyes.

“You’ve grown quite a bit from before,” he grinned, hugging Aoba firmer at the same time.

“W-well, of course! I’m a grown up now, not the timid child you used to know,” Aoba pouted, wondering where this conversation was heading to.

“Oh, really?” Koujaku teased. Pressing his lips against Aoba’s collarbone and giving it sporadic kisses all over his back, he ultimately stopped near his waist, still grinning playfully at Aoba before he continued. “You look just the same as how I remembered you to be.”

He wanted to disagree with Koujaku; wanted to tell him how wrong he was. But then he remembered that if there was  _one_  person who would understand him the most it’d be none other than Koujaku - the person who’d grown with him, watched him grow, and from now to the many years they’d be together, grow with him at the same time. 

 


	13. gentle peck [Mizuki x Noiz]

Rhyme and Rib were never on the same line of concord. From the very nature of its existence purpose, they were destined to go down each other’s throats. Sometimes no harm was meant; but sometimes, conflicts were stemmed from the intention to destruct, even though the reason for it could be absolutely absurd at times.

The Platinum Jail incident ended with an unexpected note; but peace was returned to the island and that was what truly mattered.

Ever since the gradual perish of Rhyme, it’s been tough for Noiz to figure a reason to continue staying in Midorijima. The rematch with Aoba aside, he’d need to also figure out what else he could gain from the island. He had time; perhaps too much time. And the fact that he completely disliked the way he was living now did nothing but pushing him towards the edge of his endurance limit.

He’d managed to bump into Aoba for a few times and at most times, Aoba’d greet him with his usual nervy smile and ask him, over and over again, about how he was doing now. His answer was always the same - there was  _nothing_  riveting with his life now, even worse than before. 

It was yet another time of bumping into Aoba that he was forcefully dragged into town, right into a bar which Aoba informed that was called Black Needle and was one owned by a close friend of his. He wasn’t one who could totally engrossed himself in the seemingly peaceful yet slightly wild atmosphere of a place like this but he didn’t have anything to do anyway, so he simply allowed Aoba to drag him into the shop, settled him down right in front of the bar before he went off to join Koujaku and Ren’s challenging attempt to drink without getting drunk.

Noiz shrugged. Shifting his gaze away from them, he turned to look at the bartender in front of him instead. He’d only seen him once, when he wasn’t as healthy-looking and as perky like he was now. The bartender was giving him a cheerful look when their eyes met. Noiz turned away, completely unfamiliar with how to counter this overwhelming portrayal of benignity but soon, he found a drink that looked suspiciously like a fruit juice pushed in front of him, distracting him from his annoyance.

“You’re one of the guys who helped Aoba out back in the Tower, right?” the man started. Even his voice sounded cheerful and he reminded Noiz of a combination between Aoba and Koujaku. “Erm… What’s your name again, he told me once… oh! Noiz, right?”

He fixed his gaze on the bartender. Exactly how much had Aoba told others about him? 

“I’m Mizuki. Thank you for lending a hand back there. Wouldn’t know what would happen if you weren’t there.”

“It’s nothing much,” Noiz mumbled, just so he could tell Mizuki that he wasn’t completely mute. 

Mizuki let out a bitter laugh. “Well, perhaps for you, it’s nothing much to be mentioned. But for us, it’s a huge thing.”

This person was starting to remind him more and more about Aoba and it was starting to confuse him. He knew that he was in a Rib team, the tag was way too obvious to miss. He knew that he hated Rhyme, as with all Rib members would. But here he was - welcomingly speaking to Noiz as if he was just another one of his Rib members.

“Rhyme is having a hard time,” Mizuki continued, picking up a nearest glass and started wiping on it. “If you ever want to switch over to a Rib team, Dry Juice’s door is always opened for you.”

Oh, so his Rib team was called Dry Juice, Noiz silently noted. He had no intention whatsoever to join a Rib team, his initial perception about one unwavered. But this guy in front of him was perking his interest now. Standing up, he leaned forward, catching Mizuki completely off-guard and only allowed him two seconds to make sense of the situation before he closed their distance and left a brief, soft kiss on the other’s lips.

The bartender’s reaction was one that amused him greatly. 

Just like how Aoba did when he did the exact same thing to him. 

Perhaps he could stay for a little bit more, at least to figure out what else he could do with this man in front of him before he left the island once and for all.

 


	14. chest kiss [Koujaku x Mizuki]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Koujaku wears an unrighteous tattoo all over his body; Mizuki is a tattoo artist. Coincidence? I don’t think so (･∀･)

Wearing a bodiful of tattoos would sound like an extremely magnificent idea if the person’s soul and flesh weren’t Koujaku’s. He’d heard praises, dismissed them, tried to ignore them, and never wanted to speak about them if he could. None knew of the reason behind Koujaku’s torrential body marks; many speculated them to be a shoutout of dominance, of territorial. Koujaku never denied any of those theories, never admitted to them either. And eventually, all that was left about Koujaku’s beautiful yet sinful body scars was nothing more than a perplexity.

He’d never wanted to unveil his marks if he could. But Mizuki was his best friend; and above all, a buddy who was a  _tattoo artist_. It was just a matter of time before the other brought the matter up. Koujaku knew that Mizuki was giving him time to tell him; he wouldn’t even mind if Koujaku never told him ever. But his perplexed gaze when his tattoos flashed past his eyes told Koujaku that it wasn’t fair for him either. So when he noticed Mizuki’s eyes again, he let out a heavy sigh, calling out to Mizuki, startling the tattoo artist at the same time.

“When would you be free to take a look at them, huh?” Koujaku asked in an almost joking manner. But there was this vague hint of doubt in his voice that urged Mizuki to shook his hands.

“No, no, it’s fine!” he said. “Well, you know, old habits die hard.”

Koujaku hesitated for another few moments while Mizuki went back to drowning the remaining of the drink down his throat. 

“That’s not answering my question,” he said, stern. Mizuki almost choked on his drink but he looked up at Koujaku nevertheless. The initial uncertainty had vanished in his eyes, replaced instead by a sense of genuine request.

He sat up, smiling. “Does tomorrow sound good to you?”

He’d suggested it, but as soon as he sat in the parlour, he immediately questioned his own mindset when he raised the suggestion. Was he completely ready to expose these _sins_  right in front of his best friend, just like that?

Mizuki didn’t seem to be giving him any time to regret any further though. In the next second, he appeared in the room, gloves on as he sat opposite Koujaku.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything,” Mizuki grinned upon realizing Koujaku’s hesitance. “I’m only taking a good look at them…” he trailed off, attention gradually shifting to scrutinize the pattern now still partly veiled behind Koujaku’s kimono.

Noticing the sign, Koujaku relaxed his muscles, lifting a hand to pull his clothing off, revealing his torso completely.

“Wow, this is…” Mizuki started. He reached out a finger, attempting to trace the black swirling pattern but as soon as he touched Koujaku’s skin, Koujaku jolted, almost jumping off the seat. “Sorry, does it hurt?”

“Ah, no. No, it doesn’t,” Koujaku stuttered. He’d never allowed anyone to touch his tattoo like this, let alone allowing an obviously professional tattoo artist to examine it. 

“This looks strangely familiar though,” Mizuki continued, wholly perplexed with the marks. “The curves, the intensity of inking, this is just… wow.”

At one point, Koujaku closed his eyes, no longer able to contain the loud heartbeats in his ears. What ultimately forced him to snap his eyes open was when he felt a soft, warm sensation against his chest, something that was way too different from the texture of latex he’d felt from earlier.

“Looks like you’ve gone through an agonizing experience.”

He heard Mizuki mumbling against his skin; and once again, regrets pooled within his chest, making it hard to breathe. It wasn’t a remorse stemmed from the exposing of his sinful marks; but it was a self-reproach caused by the exposing of his deepest excruciation, just like that, right in front of his best friend.

 


	15. hot, steamy kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second time they did it in the hospital, it was completely unexpected. (︶▽︶)

Aoba had appeared agitated the entire time since he walked into the ward that was Noiz’s room. After putting out the doughnuts on the bedside table, he’d been gazing, unfocused, out of the window, obviously full of thoughts.

“You okay?” Noiz asked once he was done with his second helping.

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine,” Aoba immediately faked a smile at him before he picked a third doughnut up and shoved it into Noiz’s palm. “Eat up, brat. Thought you love these.”

Noiz responded with nothing more than just another suspicious stare. Bringing the food to his mouth, he was quick to notice that Aoba had returned to his initial vacuous stance, eyes blank and staring at nothing. It took another prod to bring him back to reality.

“Do you, by any chance, have an opinion with how things had turned out between us?” Noiz asked, completely blunt.

“What?” Aoba gaped. “No, no, that’s not it!” With frantic handshakes, he finally returned his attention to Noiz, realizing how his lack of response could potentially trigger a round of inessential misunderstandings.

“What is it, then?” Noiz urged. Frankly, when he’d confessed to Aoba, he was all prepared to face whatever unfavorable response that Aoba might give him. He wanted to respect Aoba, and the whole point was to express himself in the most concise way he could afford anyway. Now that Aoba was showing a hint of remorse, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d unintentionally pushed Aoba into submitting to him, or if he was way too inconsiderate back then.

“It’s just…” Aoba looked away again. “How should I say this?”

Noiz gave him some time. He picked a doughnut up, munching on it, eyes fixed on Aoba, seemingly waiting for him. 

“W-we’ve become something more than just friends.”

“Hmm,” Noiz hummed in agreement. “Seems like it. Unless you consider having sex common as a between-friend behavior.”

Aoba smacked him on the head, almost choking him. 

“Of course not!” he scowled. “I guess I’m just…” he paused again, then letting out a loud sigh. “I just need to get used to it.”

“Get used to?” Noiz repeated.

“Us being… more than just friends,” Aoba mumbled at the end of his words. 

Noiz broke into a mischievous smile. Reaching out to clutch Aoba’s hand, he pulled him over, almost causing Aoba to tumble right on him when he tripped on the edge of his bed. 

“I was restraining myself from being too forceful without your consent but if you’re here for that intention, then it’s a whole new story altogether.”

“W-wait, what do you me– mph!”

He didn’t need Noiz to tell him exactly what  _he_  meant. Noiz’s kiss was overzealous, fervid, and definitely unfeigned. Every suck on his tongue, every kiss on his lips and every catch of breath in between their fervor tranced nothing but intense want and love - something Aoba had always yearned to feel from Noiz. He might not be able to convey his thoughts in the most effective way for Noiz to understand him completely. But getting used to being in a loving relationship with another person also meant to exchange feelings, emotions, and heat, in whatever way possible - regardless of in a physical or emotional sense.

 


	16. then, there's tongue [Noiz x Desire]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Branching from re:code GE where Desire & Reason are still unfused.

It was only a matter of time before they’d become one. Aoba -  _Reason_  - had granted him the permission to surface himself whenever he wanted. He wanted to trust him, and he knew that  _Desire_  wanted to trust him equally too. But he wouldn’t say that he wasn’t completely shocked when he found himself in a place he barely knew - sometimes late past midnight - and he’d have to reprimand, no,  _remind_  Desire not to stretch himself too far. He was sure that there were still a lot of things that Desire wanted to try; he would let him, but he couldn’t help but worry about him. It’d be a great assurance if he was to bump into Koujaku, or Mizuki, or even Clear, because then they’d be able to look after him in his position.

But unfortunately, the person whom Desire had  _always_  bumped into wasn’t Koujaku, not Mizuki, not Clear; but  _Noiz_.

“You’re wandering around here again.”

The moment he heard the more-than-familiar voice, he gave out an angry huff, didn’t even have the intention to look back at the owner of the voice as he scrutinized the place, taking in every detail of the alley. It was dark, in a state of unsightful mess and if he wasn’t careful he might be even stepping on shredded glasses for all the time he was walking along the brick walls.

“You seem to like this place a lot,” the voice continued, acknowledging that Aoba wasn’t going to bother him if he was to stay silent.

As if acting on impulse, Aoba turned around. Even with a profile that was astoundingly similar to Aoba, Noiz knew that his wasn’t exactly the same Aoba he knew - he could tell from the aura he was giving out, from the snicker he was throwing at him; but above all, the glare he’d given Noiz was the best proof that this particular person wasn’t who he thought it’d be.

“This was where the accident happened,” Aoba said, voice casual as he traced a finger along the filthy wall stain, until he came face-to-face with Noiz, who was wearing a dismissive feature, one that Aoba had come to know very well.

“Accident?” Noiz whispered.

“Do you know why Aoba stopped playing Rhyme?” he asked, a smirk painted his face. “Come to think about it, if he hadn’t stopped Rhyme, you might not even be championing the number one title now.”

Noiz seemed like he was considering the question, his contradicting features amusing Aoba to no end.

“You mean why  _you_  stopped Rhyme? Both you and Aoba are the same anyway. Regardless of who made the decision, it was still a mutual agreement between both of you.”

Aoba was obviously amused now, for a whole different reason from before.

“You haven’t answered my question, brat,” he teased, slamming his hand on Noiz’s shoulder and pulling their distance close.

“Accident,” Noiz murmured. He could feel Aoba’s breath on his face, Aoba’s penetrating glare and Aoba’s confident smirk just inches away from his. 

Aoba’s grin widened then. Looking over his shoulder, he pointed at the alley with his chin before he continued, “Yeah. Here’s where it happened.”

Noiz followed his gaze. The alley was undoubtedly abandoned, no one seemed to fancy the place any longer.

“Perhaps people think it’s cursed, you know,” Aoba said in a jokingly manner. “This was where the number one Rhyme player met his downfall after all.” Returning his gaze at Noiz, he gave Noiz a playful grin before he leaned forward, the tips of their noses touching. “Question - if you and I play Rhyme here, now, who do you think will meet his downfall this time?”

It wasn’t a question Noiz could answer. Fixing his eyes firmly at Aoba instead, he lifted his own smirk, then wrapping an arm around Aoba’s waist as he gave it a strong tug, pressing their chests together in the process. 

“I don’t see why we can’t try. You still owe me a Rhyme match after all.”

Aoba laughed, one that echoed loudly in the quiet alley. 

“You’re an interesting man,” he remarked. “But before we could make that happen…” He tiptoed, bringing his eyes to the same level as Noiz as he snaked his hands around Noiz’s neck, trapping his head securely right in front of him. 

It happened so fast Noiz barely had time to react to the sudden change of mood. For all he knew, Aoba had came closer then, and closer; and then, his tongue was in his mouth, tangling with  _his_  tongue, the clicking sound of his tongue piercing when it hit Aoba’s teeth reverberating loudly in his ears. It was full whole minute before Aoba retreated, licking his bottom lip and giving Noiz a moist stare with a hint of crave.

“ _That_  was really a tongue piercing.”

In that instance, Noiz knew that he was finding the answer for the other Aoba who he’d kissed for the first time in Heibon, and also for himself. 

He never expected him to care so much for a detail as insignificant as this. This was going to be interesting, he noted inwardly. 

He’d want to spend more time with  _this_  Aoba, as an effort to know more about Aoba as a whole as well. If only time would permit them to.

 


	17. forceful kiss [Koujaku x Noiz]

The buzz had become a bit too unbearable. Midorijima wasn’t a small place, wasn’t a big place either; but when rumors spread, they reached each one of the resident’s ears. It wasn’t a place to hide secrets; definitely not a place where one would want their secrets to be unveiled as well.

Hence when the rumors about his relationship with Noiz spread, Koujaku immediately found himself surrounded by gratuitous dissonance. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be confronted for that exact matter; but every time when he was approached, he’d dismiss the matter, purposely diverting the topic. He didn’t need to do too much for people to know that he wasn’t up for discussion. But the curiosity and suspicions prolonged; eventually, it reached a boiling point for him and when he insisted Noiz to stay over for the night, the younger man perked a shady eyebrow at him.

“We need to think of a solution to calm the noise down,” Koujaku went straight to the point while Noiz shrugged. 

“Let them talk.”

“It’s annoying.”

“Not as annoying as you.”

It wasn’t a productive discourse; and it did nothing to suppress Koujaku’s intention to settle the matter once and for all.

Probably he needed another round of discussion - this time, with the right group of people.

The next day, he found himself in Black Needle, with none other but Aoba, Mizuki and Ren. 

“So,” Aoba started the discussion with a playful smirk. “I believe you owe us an explanation, Koujaku.”

Koujaku let out a heavy sigh. Scratching his head, he leaned back against the couch, attempting to find the right word in his head when Mizuki slung an arm around his neck, pulling him over to meet the crowd.

“C’mon, we’re buddies. You can tell us  _anything_ , you know?”

He was intending to deviate himself from the irritation that had been troubling him since the past few weeks, but it seemed like landing himself in this exact situation now didn’t help him the slightest after all.

“It’s not what you think it is,” Koujaku pulled himself off Mizuki’s clutch.

“We won’t judge, you know?” Aoba leaned closer just to send a smirk at his direction. “You  _know_  we won’t.”

Koujaku sighed again. This wasn’t doing him any good. He might be falling into their trap if he allowed them to continue their taunts. 

“Noiz is a nice guy,” Aoba continued, looking over at Ren for approval. “He’s a bit aggressive, but he’s young and smart and–”

“I know,” Koujaku interrupted. “He’s not all that bad.”

“You see?” Aoba exclaimed, delight in his tone. “So we’re totally fine with– ah, speaking of the devil.”

Koujaku felt chills running down his spine. He didn’t remember replying to Noiz’s “ _Where are you?”_ message from earlier.

Perhaps that was a mistake of its own. There was no way he could escape Noiz’s information web.

“Noiz!” Mizuki called out, waving his hand at the man. Koujaku buried his face in his hands, no longer willing to face the trap he’d set for himself.

He knew Noiz was standing right in front of him, possibly glaring down at him. He couldn’t hear the surrounding noise anymore, not even Aoba’s and Mizuki’s voice. 

“Oi,” Noiz started, only then that Koujaku looked up, just to see Noiz, as expected, _glaring_  at him.

But Noiz never continued whatever he intended to say. Instead, he leaned downwards, bringing his face extremely close to Koujaku before he gave himself a push, pressing his lips against Koujaku’s, letting the kiss linger for one whole minute before he pulled himself off, smirking when he take in the sight of Koujaku’s petrified expression and Aoba and Mizuki’s open-mouthed profiles. 

“There. They can stop talking now.”

He didn’t even try stopping Noiz when he turned his back towards them and left the place without another word. 

And it took five whole minutes after he’d returned from the shock to remember that he’d promised Noiz to eat dinner with him tonight.

 


	18. piercing kissing [Koujaku x Noiz]

It always bothered Koujaku whenever Noiz’s piercings came into sight. The ones on his face were way too obvious for him to deviate from them. But he knew that those weren’t all that Noiz had. His entire body was literally covered with piercings, even in unexpected places.

Scars weren’t and never would be Koujaku’s favorite thing to see on one’s body. Whenever he wanted to rebuke Noiz about it, the words only made it to the tip of his tongue before he pulled them back, forcing them back down his throat while Noiz gave him a wary stare, aware that he had something to say that hadn’t made it to the daylight.

It wasn’t hard to discover exactly  _what_  had been troubling Koujaku, though. Every time they made love, Noiz’d notice the way the older man would frown and glare at his piercings, his gaze swam from top to bottom, from his face to his body and ultimately his lower half.

“It didn’t hurt when I got them,” he interrupted Koujaku’s thought the first time he noticed such behavior. It did nothing but irritating the hairdresser even more.

“That’s not the point.” Koujaku clicked his tongue. Towering over him, he pressed a finger against one of the piercings on the bridge of Noiz’s nose, as if attempting to test if it’d hurt this time. “The point is,” he continued after a momentary pause. “ _why_  did you feel the need to get them?”

This time, it was Noiz’s turn to scowl. Pushing Koujaku away, he turned his back towards him, pressing his chest flat against the mattress and burying his face in the pillow, a sign loud enough to tell Koujaku that he no longer had the intention to continue the conversation.

It was when Koujaku continuously did it for the fourth time that Noiz finally lost his cool. Grasping hard on Koujaku’s wrist, he led his hand towards the piercing on his abdomen, purposely pressing Koujaku’s finger  _hard_  into the metal material until Koujaku was almost struggling himself off his clutch. 

“I can’t feel pain. This was the only solution I had to put myself closer to be able to feel at that time. But the only pain I felt at the end of the day was here.” He stuck his tongue out, then literally throwing Koujaku’s hand aside and looking away, telling Koujaku that he’d had enough for this conversation.

Koujaku had his own suspicions. Now that Noiz had laid the truth out at him, he realized that he’d been right all along. No one would ever do anything without a motive behind their actions. He’d been wondering what was Noiz’s motive when he decided to punch multiple holes on his body. And ever since he discovered the truth about Noiz’s inability to feel pain, he found more bulbs clicking in his head. He didn’t want his speculation to be right; but Noiz had thrown the reality at him - one that he’d literally forced it out of him.

As a response, he hugged Noiz from behind, his lips finding their way to Noiz’s piercings and kissing every one of them, giving them intermittent sucks just so Noiz could feel at least a tiny sensation on his skin, no matter how vague it may be. 

“So you’re the same as me,” he mumbled fervently against Noiz’s rough skin. “Every one of this,” he pecked his piercings with every word he said. “…is a proof of struggle and of courage.”

Noiz wouldn’t agree entirely to what Koujaku was suggesting. He knew about Koujaku’s scars - Koujaku’s tattoo - and he also knew that Koujaku wanted nothing of those scars on his body. But Noiz was different; he hurt himself with the intention that was completely selfish. 

He wasn’t exactly courageous,  _Koujaku_ was. But perhaps, he could agree that every one of the piercings on his body was an evidence of struggle - just like Koujaku, he’d fought with his inner self, won it, and had built him into the man he was today.

 


	19. chest kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I mentioned in a comment in [Forgotten Scars](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4159983) that I’m looking for a chance to write Noiz worshipping the scars Aoba sustained for him. Here comes the chance >:3 Taking place on the night before Aoba departed to Germany with Noiz.

The night after the intense, long overdue love-making with each other, they stayed up late at night, despite knowing that they’d have to catch an early flight the next morning. The jumpiness on Aoba’s face was way too evident to miss, urging him to unconsciously inching closer towards Noiz. Receiving the message, Noiz slung an arm around his shoulders, bringing him even closer.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said, answering Aoba’s question even before he could ask. “Like I said, it’s not definite yet. You can return if you don’t feel like staying there.”

Aoba didn’t want to tell Noiz that he didn’t want to be one who’d give up so easily but Noiz was right, he wouldn’t know until he was there himself. Letting out a contented sigh, he nuzzled against Noiz’s chest, suddenly feeling relieved that Noiz was the one who would be looking after him when he was there. But above all, he was more than relieved to be able to finally look after Noiz now.

He sat up, slinging one leg over Noiz’s body and settling himself comfortably on top of Noiz, chest pressing chest, before he gave him a playful smirk. 

“I haven’t said this before but, let’s look after each other from now on,” he said. Noiz brightened his eyes, momentarily surprised by the sudden initiative. Returning Aoba’s grin, he sat up, releasing Aoba’s weight from his chest before he held onto his shoulders.

“Yeah, we have a long way to go. Please look after me.”

He intended to surprise Noiz, to put that smirk into control but before he knew it, _Noiz_  was flustering him all over again as he found himself looking away, his sharp gaze too overpowering for him to contain. 

“There’re a lot of things that I have yet to know about you,” Noiz continued, eyeing him intensely, starting from his flustered face, to his neck where a small kiss mark could be seen. His stare swam, smoothly, along his body then: his shoulder blades, his chest, before he set his eyes on Aoba’s abdomen.

“Hm?” The gaze lingered for way too long, urging Aoba to return his attention to him, just to see Noiz staring fixedly at a faded wound near his ribs.

“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s old wound,” Aoba had said. But it didn’t help a bit. He heard Noiz giving out a quiet sigh, shot a quick stare at his direction before he traced his fingers along the scar. It didn’t look too obvious now, but it was  _still there_  - one fact that Noiz could never repent.

“This is from the time when you rescued me, right?” he asked. Aoba’s lack of response told him that he was right. He himself was slightly taken aback by the sudden matter. It was the past; but it should never be forgotten, especially not when  _he_  was the reason the scar was there. 

“Don’t worry, Noiz,” Aoba patted him on the head with cheekiness written all over his face. “I’m a man, I need some scars on my body too. I don’t mind a bit. Especially not when,” he leaned closer, his smirk deepened before he placed his hand on top of Noiz’s, joining him in caressing his own scar. “…when  _you_  are the one giving them to me.”

It wasn’t Noiz’s intention and Noiz would never want to give Aoba more scars than he already had. But he knew where Aoba came from. Because if Aoba was to say the same thing to him, he was sure that he’d respond in the same way as well. 

Letting out a small smile, he broke his hand free off Aoba’s, snaking both his arms around Aoba’s waist and pulling him closer, literally pressing their abdomens together. “I say the same.” was all he said before he dove down, taking in a mouthful of Aoba’s neck and kissing his way down: his neck, his chest, every part of him. His kiss lingered longer at where the old scar was, pressing his lips tenderly against it and smiling against his skin, now with a whole new resolution in his head.

If they were to face more battles in the future, scars would definitely be unavoidable. But at the very least, they’d want to be by each other’s side when they were to face those crucial conflicts; and by the end of it, they wanted to be the one who’d stay, pat each other on the head, and tell each other, again and again, that everything would be fine.

 


	20. kiss in the rain [Koujaku x Noiz]

It was nothing too serious; in fact, it was only a tiny, insignificant friction of a misunderstanding Noiz was too hesitant to rectify. He knew Koujaku’s temperament too well to know where the argument was heading to. Without the urge to even defend himself, he’d stood up, conveniently ignoring every question, every word Koujaku was shouting into his ears as he paced his way towards the door, no longer had the intention to entertain him any longer. Considering how hot-headed Koujaku was, and how he was so sure of his accusation towards Noiz, the Rhyme player knew that it was a waste of energy to debate with him any longer anyway, let alone trying to convince him into believing what he had to say for himself.

Prevention was the best solution now; or so he thought.

He left the Rib player’s place in a hurry, turning a deaf ear towards whatever he had to say, leaving Koujaku’s doubts and fury unattended. He walked out of the quiet area where Koujaku’s house was located, into the busy central of Midorijima before he found himself getting irritated with the buzz that was the start of the town’s nightlife. He wasn’t particularly interested with what the night activities could offer him. Instead, it’d be awesome if he could land himself a Rhyme match now as a distracting mechanism.

A quick ask at Usagimodoki was all he needed to find himself in an alley. He didn’t foresee any strong opponent anyway; but a Rhyme match would definitely be helpful to help him pass time. 

And soon enough, a Rhyme field was pulled up, one that was obviously triggered by a drive-by. He waited; waiting to analyze the his opponent at the other side. And when he finally did, he let out a smirk - well, this was not going to go as how he expected after all.

***

He knew he’d done a wrong step; he knew he was the one who’d driven Noiz away. That was why he stopped himself from chasing after him when the door was slammed shut in his face. He sat on the bed, clutching his head, wondering what exactly went wrong that had him going over the board like that. Noiz leaving was perhaps the best solution for both of them at the moment and he hated himself for unable to let himself loose especially at times like these; he disliked this part of himself for having a brat, who was technically way younger than him to tell him what was the best thing to do for the both of them now. He’d lost enough of his pride; if ever, this was perhaps the best time for him to repent his faults.  

With that resolution in mind, he stood up, hastily grabbed his sword from a corner of the room and headed out.

He had an idea where Noiz might head to. The possibility of him heading home was low; because technically Noiz himself wouldn’t even call it a home, let alone a shelter when he was wounded. He headed into the busiest place he could locate in town. The nightlife had just started and the streets were crowded it made moving around hard for him. He clicked his tongue at the mess people were creating themselves, visibly dissatisfied with the way the residents on this island were still looking out for an alternative relief for a mere illusion that was created by Toue. He heard thunderstorms echoing from afar and scowling deeper, he continued looking around, trying to spot for a hint of green before he found his feet bringing him to an alley. It was all messed up; the scattered rubbish bins and the scratches on the walls had told Koujaku enough that a fight - or Rhyme - had occurred here just not long ago. He walked into the alley. It was way too quiet than where he came in from. 

And then, he spotted it, that hint of green he was so desperately looking for: leaning against the wall, staring into nothing, blood dripping from his fingertips as he supported his hands on his knees. 

“Noi–” He hadn’t even finished his words before a sudden downpour drown upon them - gradually, then heavily. Noiz had turned to look at him then, his expression blank as if he’d just recovered from a shock. 

Koujaku rushed towards him; if he hadn’t looked wounded when he left his house, he definitely looked scarred now with deep bruise on his right face and blood dripping from his head, creating a trail of red along his cheek.

“Did you run into a fight?” Koujaku’s first question was asked out of concern, but it was perfectly that that had Noiz smirked in disgust. He looked away, no longer had the energy to look Koujaku in the eyes. They were too intense for him to take and all he ever wanted now was a good rest and probably he could finally fall asleep and let the wounds heal by himself.

But of course, with Koujaku right here, right in front of him, catching him right when he was in a mess; there was no way he could ‘sleep’ right there and then.

Koujaku looked as if he was about to scream at him - he was all prepared for it - but instead, he pulled him over, pressing his head against his chest as he patted his head. The rain continued pouring, drenching them wet from head to toe. It was a perfect reflection of Noiz’s mood - one that was cold, horrid, and lonely. 

“I’m sorry,” Koujaku muttered. The storms were loud, the rain was loud; but Koujaku’s word was louder, rolling straight into his heart. “I’m sorry for letting this happen.”

Koujaku didn’t need to apologize. If ever, it was  _his_  own fault for drawing troubles to himself. He remembered Koujaku telling him countless times to look after his own back, to  _think_  before he acted but at the peek of his fury, he seemed to decide that taking care of his own rage was a solution far better than taking in Koujaku’s advice.

As a consequence, here he was - worrying Koujaku and hurting himself at the same time.

He struggled out of Koujaku’s arms, looking up to see Koujaku giving him the same intense stare he’d been giving him for a while now. And, without warning, he lurched forward, catching Koujaku in a sudden, passionate kiss that almost had Koujaku lose his balance and tumble backwards if he hadn’t been grabbing onto Noiz. 

He didn’t know where this came from; for all he knew, apologies were never easy for them, especially when it came to verbal apologies. 

But their physical actions always did the work. They always do.

 


	21. on the forehead [Noiz x Aoba]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever considered Aoba giving Noiz a haircut? Think about it.

Before he lost the sensations on his hair, giving himself a haircut was something he’d done on a mundane basis. It wasn’t too hard, it was just challenging. It didn’t concern him a bit even if he was to screw it up anyway, but he definitely wouldn’t want to become another round of laughing stock especially when he was already bearing his long-hair socially uncommon label among the common crowd.

He didn’t mind cutting his own hair now either, if Noiz hadn’t been suggesting that he could try out the local salon if he wanted. In fact, that mere suggestion triggered his own thinking cap as he shot a deliberate gaze at Noiz instead; specifically his hair.

“Do you cut yours in the salon too?” he asked, purely curious.

Noiz’s gaze lingered on the ceiling, seemingly considering the question; which was weird on its own. Was it even something tough to answer?

“Sometimes,” he finally replied. “But I no longer do that when I moved here.”

“’Sometimes’,” Aoba repeated the word, throwing his thought out unconsciously. “What did you do apart from cutting it in a salon? Don’t tell me…”

He might be thinking too much, looking at things in a way too in-depth way as usual. But the moment Noiz’s stare returned to his, a click switched in his head, replaced almost instantly by a light bulb when he found his own eyes wandered to look Noiz on the hair.

“I have to be honest with you, I hope you don’t take this too personally,” Aoba started, sounding as cautious as he could, which did nothing but intensifying the already curious stare Noiz was fixing on him. “I always wonder if it’s a trend for you to keep hair like this. You know, all spiky and,” he paused, taking a few steps to bring himself closer to his boyfriend. “messed up.”

Noiz widened his eyes then, giving Aoba a look that spelled strongly of surprise. “You think so?” was all he asked before he turned to look at his own reflection in a nearby mirror they’d placed in the living room for last-minute grooming purpose.

“Well, a simple fix would do,” Aoba said hastily, pulling Noiz on the sleeve to grab his attention back at him.

“I wouldn’t have time to visit the salon until next weekend,” Noiz considered, the corner of his eyes still unintentionally darting towards the mirror. It seemed like what Aoba had said impacted him in a way more severe than Aoba thought it’d be.

“You have time today, don’t you?” Aoba suggested, but the look on Noiz’s face that came right after his question told him that he had no intention to alter today’s plan: they were supposed to spend their day together today and going to the salon was probably never in his list of ‘things to do’ for the day.

Letting out a small laugh, Aoba ruffled him on his hair. “I’ve got an idea.”

“I’m not going to the salon today,” Noiz immediately said.

“I’m not going to suggest that,” Aoba pouted. “You’re staying here today, with me, and a pair of scissors.”

A thin frown appeared in between Noiz’s eyebrows before he brightened his eyes, realization hitting him in the thought.

“You sure?” he smirked. He couldn’t help it; the idea of having Aoba cutting his hair was way too far-fetched for him to consume.

“Uhuh,” Aoba said as he pulled Noiz by the wrist, pushing him to sit on the couch. “I often cut my own hair when I was younger.”

“But that’s _your_ own hair, not someone else’s.”

“ _Still_ ,” Aoba was quick to respond. “It’s still cutting hair.”

Noiz didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was a whole different story altogether when one was to cut another person’s hair but Aoba’s enthusiasm had him forcing his retorts down his throat.

“I’ll prepare breakfast. After that, we can get down to work.”

And he didn’t have the heart to suggest otherwise either.

A quick tummies-filling later, Noiz found himself sitting in front of the mirror, half naked, staring into his own reflection while he waited for Aoba to return. He didn’t need to wait for too long before Aoba returned with a pair of scissors and a set of what looked like a stylist start-up set in his hands.

“Where did you get those?” Noiz asked out of curiosity.

“This?” Aoba asked, momentarily flicking his gaze towards the set before he smiled confidently at Noiz’s reflection. “Koujaku gave it to me before I left. He said it’d come in handy one day. I didn’t expect him to foresee this to happen!”

Noiz was pretty sure that wasn’t what Koujaku meant but he kept to himself anyway. This wasn’t the time to debate about what that a person who’s miles away from them thought with Aoba now. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and waited for his fate to fall upon him.

Soon enough, he felt Aoba’s hands on his hair. He seemed like he was analyzing every spike and every texture of his hair as if he’d never seen them before.

“Hmm,” Aoba hummed, urging Noiz to open his eyes just to see him scowling at his hair.

“I don’t mind making a run to the salon if you find this too challenging,” Noiz teased but Aoba shook his head, placing both his hands on both sides of Noiz’s head and positioning it in a way so that Noiz was facing the mirror.

“You don’t need it to be shorter than it already is,” Aoba explained, eyes still glued to Noiz’s head. “The main problem is how to get rid of these… scattered ends.”

Noiz didn’t know what Aoba was looking at; for all he knew, it could be parts of his hair which he was too oblivious to pay a second glance on.

“I should’ve asked Koujaku about this just now instead of asking him about how to cut your hair short.”

So that was why he took so long to return to him: he was talking to Koujaku. “Any shorter than this and you might as well shave me bald,” he commented. It was meant to be a joke but the image of himself being bald flashed past his head the moment he mouthed it. Finding himself regretting it, he quickly looked at Aoba, heaving a relieved sigh when he noticed that Aoba wasn’t about to take his joke too seriously either.

“It won’t look good professionally,” Aoba had said, missing the point completely. “But anyhow, I’ll try.” Rolling his sleeves up, he smirked determinedly at Noiz, then waving the scissors in his hand. “You ready?”

Noiz gulped down his throat. It wasn’t something to be intimidated over but the way Aoba had put it made him feel a sense of terror that he never knew existed.

He closed his eyes again, completely leaving the destiny of his hair in Aoba’s hands. As the snipping sound echoed around the bathroom, he tried not to imagine how he’d look like after Aoba was done. He trusted him; and he was sure that Aoba didn’t put up that confident smile just for the sake.

“Ah.”

He almost jumped when Aoba’s voice broke the silence in the room. Snapping his eyes open, he looked at Aoba in the reflection, just to see him staring alarmingly at him.

“What happened?” He almost had to force his own words out. He had a brief idea of what happened but he refused to believe it until he heard it with his own ears.

“N-Noiz…?” Aoba started slowly.

Noiz didn’t respond, gaze fixed firmly on Aoba’s. He saw his boyfriend swallowing down his throat, eyes darting back to the back of his hair before he concentrated on Noiz again.

“D-do you happen to still have the beanie you wore back in Midorijima?”

He clenched his fists. He remembered the beanie, and of course he still kept it. But this wasn’t the point now. Giving Aoba a dismissive stare, he stretched his hand, reaching out to the nearest hand mirror he could grab on the rack and, despite Aoba’s panicking look, he held the mirror behind him, giving him a perfect view of the back of his own head.

He almost dropped the mirror.

“Aoba,” he called, his voice deeper than Aoba remembered it to be. But what ultimately had Aoba shivering in fright was how _daunting_ it sounded. “I do have the beanie,” Noiz continued and Aoba couldn’t help but take a step back. He knew Noiz wouldn’t reprimand him, let alone hit him; but the guilt within him was something he couldn’t withstand either as he found himself staring terrifyingly at Noiz, waiting for his next words. “But it doesn’t look professional enough. Do you think…” He knew Noiz was purposely dragging his words. And Noiz most likely knew how regretful Aoba was at this very moment anyway. “…we could head out to town today to buy a new one?”

“H-Huh?” He blinked, once, twice, trice, just to make sure that he was hearing it right.

Noiz had put the hand mirror down then, turning around just to face Aoba. Now Aoba can see the nasty condition he’d created on the back of Noiz’s hair from the mirror clear as day: there was an obvious bald patch on the back, one which he’d created when he’d let his hand slip.

“I’d need something less childish, at the very least,” Noiz continued, as if Aoba hadn’t heard what he’d suggested.

“Something… professional-like?” It was an unnecessary question, but he felt as if he needed to speak before he could fall into his own trap of despair.

“Hmm, yeah, something like that. A black one, maybe. Or a hat.”

For the entire time, he couldn’t help but stare at the reflection of Noiz’s head. It took a three-seconds silence before he broke out into a loud laughter, eliciting a curious frown out of Noiz.

“I’m– oh god, I’m so sorry, Noiz,” he panted between laughter. “I just.. thought that part needed to be trimmed more but I didn’t expect it to– hahahaha!”

Now Noiz was portraying obvious displease on his face now. Realizing that he’d taken it too far, Aoba clutched his stomach, then moving towards Noiz before he grasped his head and kissed him on the forehead. “Sure, let’s go out together. But you’d have to wear that old beanie first for today until we find you a new one.”

“Doesn’t seem like I have a choice,” Noiz pouted. He didn’t seem like he was mad at Aoba, surprising Aoba greatly. He’d probably expected this to happen. But yet, he _allowed_ Aoba to do as he please, without having the heart nor the intention to stop him despite how hesitant he was. It was a gesture way too gracious for Aoba to take as he hugged his head, caressing the bald patch as delicately as he could.

“I can call Koujaku again to ask if there’s any way to fix it,” he suggested. “Or,” Releasing Noiz’s head, he stared delightfully at Noiz. “We can ask him to fix it for you the next time we visit Midorijima.”

Noiz looked away almost instantly, still with an obviously dissatisfied expression on his face. “Fine. I can live with this.”

Sure, of course he could, Aoba thought. Laughing again, he ruffled Noiz on the hair, moved by how cute the brat could be. Probably whatever Aoba was to do to his hair didn’t even matter to him; probably what mattered more was that _Aoba_ was the one that was doing something to his hair. With that realization, various initiatives started popping up in his head: perhaps they could try another hair style now that what done was done.

This would definitely go into their memory album.

 


	22. french kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

One thing that never failed to astonish Aoba was the amount of piercings Noiz had on his body. He’d find his gaze shifting involuntarily to the tiny metal studs on the other’s body, scrutinizing as waves of thoughts hit his mind. He wondered how Noiz felt when he first got them and if Noiz would consider getting more of them now that he could properly feel. But it wasn’t something he could throw at Noiz just like that so instead, he spent most of the time pondering the same question over and over again whenever he saw Noiz. Before he knew it, those piercings became something way too prominent to overlook. It was starting to aggravate him.

On the same night Noiz was discharged from the hospital, when they were both naked on the bed after a session of intense fervour, Aoba found his eyes darting unconsciously towards Noiz’s piercings again, starting from the one on his navel, eyes scanning across his torso and ultimately stopping at the two piercings below his lips. He was about to sit up for a better look but Noiz choose that specific moment to straighten himself up, capturing Aoba’s gaze.

“Ah.” Aoba let out an awkward gasp, was about to look away but wasn’t fast enough for Noiz to grasp onto his chin, fixing their stares together.

“Didn’t know you had the habit to stare at me,” he smirked. But Aoba knew he didn’t mean what he said; he _knew_ that Aoba had been, and loved to stare at him whenever he got the chance to.

Aoba pouted and brushed his hand away, resting his head on Noiz’s chest instead and finding a shiver running down his spine when his abdomen pressed against the other’s navel piercing.

“Interested?” Noiz broke the silence after a short while. He didn’t need to explain for Aoba to know that he’d finally noticed what was bugging Aoba. Jumping on the chance, he looked up again, nuzzling his skin against the metal stud on Noiz’s navel before he spoke,

“You didn’t feel anything when you got them, right?” he asked, just to confirm.

Noiz seemed to be taking his question way too earnestly then Aoba had expected as he tilted his head, allowing his gaze to linger at the shadow on the bedside table that was his Allmate before he shook his head.

“Nothing at all,” he said when a sudden realization hit him. “Perhaps not entirely nothing at all.”

“Hm?” Curious, Aoba sat up again, pressing both his hands by Noiz’s sides and inched closer towards him.

“Here,” Noiz said, sticking his tongue out. Under the very weak light source they had in the room, Aoba could make out the weak glinting of the metal material on Noiz’s tongue, reminding him of the metal clanking sound he heard when Noiz first kissed him in Heibon and the metal sensation he felt against his tongue whenever they indulged themselves in a kiss.

It was a surreal, unique experience of its own to feel _metal_ in his mouth but for Noiz who had been feeling it for the whole time now, Aoba’s sense of unfamiliarity was probably something that would be taken as a joke if he was to say it out loud.

“This is the only place I can feel,” Noiz explained, even though he was _sure_ that Aoba was already well aware of this. If intentionally reminding Aoba was his purpose, then it could only lead to one direction.

“ _How_ exactly?” Aoba teased, knowing what was coming but refusing to let his guard down anyhow.

Noiz smirked – one gesture that told Aoba that he’d hit the right button.

And, as expected, his young boyfriend leaned, cupping his face in his hands and locked zealous gaze with Aoba.

“It’s hard to explain,” he was practically _whispering_ into Aoba’s face and the unobtrusive, chilly atmosphere around them did nothing but sent a pang of warmth right into Aoba’s chest. “It makes me feel all… weird inside.”

By now, Aoba was no longer sure if he was telling the truth or if he was teasing him but regardless, he leaned closer, finding Noiz’s lips and pressed his against his, pausing for a few seconds and simply allow their lips to linger against each other. Pulling back, he asked,

“Did you feel anything?”

“Hmm,” Noiz considered. “Not really. Just something soft pressing against it.”

Aoba grinned. Noiz could be overtly cute at moments like these – when he tried so hard to explain what he felt in ways he wasn’t familiar with – and it was especially endearing when he could be so upfront with Aoba and yet not losing that hint of inquisitiveness at the same time.

Wrapping his arms around Noiz’s neck, he pushed himself forward, sitting up and pressing their bodies together before he planted a kiss on the same place again; this time, a deeper one.

He no longer asked Noiz how he felt. Rather, he took his time caressing Noiz’s backbone with featherlike touches as he closed his eyes, his kiss lingered deeper and longer this time before he proceeded to suck on the bottom lip, using the tip of his tongue to trace along the skin. He could feel Noiz giving in to his touches as well, causing him to let out a happy sigh before he led his own tongue into his boyfriend’s mouth, immediately grasping tighter on his shoulders when he found his tongue piercing.

Noiz seemed like he wanted to say something but Aoba stopped him from pulling himself away by pushing himself deeper, pressing their tongues together, feeling drool escaping the corners of their lips and ultimately intertwining their tongues, the hot breath they felt on each other’s faces a good indication of increased passion.

For a long while, the room was reverberated by nothing but wet, sucking sounds where they indulged in each other’s mouth, savouring each other’s tongue and attempting to taste each other in their mouths. The longer they kiss, the firmer they held each other in their arms and by the time they needed to separate to catch some air, pink blushes had already painted the whole of their faces; eyes steamy and filled with undeniable want.

“You’re already hard,” Noiz teased, flicking his finger at the head of Aoba’s dick. It was already leaking precum, the stain dripping and falling onto Noiz’s navel piercing, creating a sight so sinfully filthy that Aoba found himself hard to look at.

“Second round?”

He didn’t even need to ask; but from the way he’d witnessed how Noiz’s dick had reacted the moment their tongues found each other, he realized that he might have discovered a lethal weakness of Noiz that would definitely come in useful for them in the future.

 


	23. finger kiss [Noiz x Aoba]

He once asked Noiz if there was anything he could do at all to mend the broken little finger. Noiz had told him that it was too late for anything and that one casual reply had stabbed a wound into Aoba’s heart. It wasn’t a past he could mend; it was a history he was never a part in. He knew that he shouldn’t be too concerned with it; Noiz had told him so, he’d reminded himself so. But every time the little finger came into his line of sight he couldn’t help but stare, feeling the familiar twitch again as he quickly looked away before Noiz could notice what was bothering him.

Noiz’s scars were obvious and permanent. They were proofs of how he was once a reckless, unworldly kid who had abandoned the world. They were also constant reminders to Aoba - a responsibility he was more than willing to shoulder if he could heal those scars little by little, no matter how long it’d take.

On their wedding night, Noiz had spent most of the time staring at Aoba, all the time having a gentle smile on his face as Aoba returned his gaze, feeling all awkward and overwhelmed. Their marriage shouldn’t come as a surprise. Ever since Aoba moved to Germany with Noiz, he’d felt as if they were a young married couple; him taking care of the house as well as Noiz’s work whenever he can and Noiz trying hard to assist him as well as picking himself up with work and his family all at the same time. He’d said that he moved to Germany just so he could take care of Noiz in his own way, in a closer range. But as days, months, years passed by, he soon realized that he wasn’t there just to take care of Noiz, but he was also there to build a family with Noiz, one that Noiz deserved.

And now, as the vow was sealed, they found a sudden wave of surrealism hitting them hard in the chest. Aoba till couldn’t quite believe that he’d married Noiz, a man whom he took much effort to raise; a man whom he once knew as a reckless Rhyme player who knew nothing about life and nothing about raising a family. But now, as Noiz led him to straddle on his laps on the couch, he could only smile shyly, flashbacks returned to him again and again; memories that told him how much they’d gone through to reach here. Those were scars too; proud scars, in fact.

“So,” Noiz broke the silence between them, finally making the first step. “How does it feel being married to me?”

“Huh?” Aoba was used to how unpredictable Noiz could be. His question this time wasn’t a trick question; rather, it was a genuine question that Aoba knew that Noiz was dying to hear. He knew how insecure Noiz could be, even when Noiz never told him anything about it. He knew how Noiz had been trying his very best in his own way to make sure that Aoba would never regret his decision. Taking this big step was definitely life-changing and here he was, asking Aoba again, if he was happy with the step they had taken.

“Well, I wouldn’t know so soon, right?” Aoba teased with a grin. “It’s only the beginning.”

Noiz seemed to have noticed how impossible it was for Aoba to answer the question so, letting out a small smile, he leaned in, kissed him softly yet passionately on the lips before he pulled himself back.

“I feel like I’m heading towards a road of no return.”

“Is that a good thing?” Aoba asked.

“Anything with you is always a good thing.”

He knew Noiz meant what he said but he also knew that sometimes Noiz could be too open with him. He wouldn’t mind anything Aoba wanted to do with him and if Aoba was to insist, he’d even return to Midorijima with him with no objections. It didn’t take too long for Aoba to finally notice that this might be an act of redemption from Noiz, whom often thought that he’d never be enough for him; just like how Aoba often thought that he wouldn’t be enough for Noiz.

“You once asked me if I regretted coming here with you and I said I had no regrets,” Aoba started, the sudden change of topic catching Noiz off guard. “Truth is, I was insecure. Not only because I’m starting a new life in a new environment but I’ve always been thinking if I’m the best person to support you in your growth. But across the years, you had proved to me how wrong I once was, that there was no best person for you, there was only the person you choose.”

Noiz was visibly still trying to grasp what Aoba was trying to say. Encircling his arms around Noiz’s neck, he gave Noiz a tender smile.

“It took me some time but I finally noticed that you are insecure too. I’m sorry for overlooking it. If you ask me how do I feel being married to you, the only thing I can say is that perhaps… I feel relieved? That you’re secured to me now, that I’m secured to you. We’re bonded together in all senses now. There’s nothing to be insecure anymore.”

He definitely caught Noiz off guard.

“From now and beyond, I’ll take care of you; not only your daily life, but also,” he paused, leaning in to kiss Noiz on the puckered marks on his eyebrow, then the ones on the bridge of his nose, and finally, the one under his lips. “your scars.”

Noiz lifted a hand then, wanted to embrace Aoba into a kiss but Aoba stopped him with a hand on his arm. Seeing his broken little finger still hurt him; but it was a past and there was nothing he could do. What he could do now was to heal it little by little, to the extent that the next time they saw the permanent wound, they’d feel proud for all the struggles they’d gone through to shape them into the persons they were today.

“This,” Aoba continued, lifting Noiz’s hand up and intertwining their fingers together. “I’ll take care of this from now on too.”

The kiss he felt on his finger was one that was stronger than any other kiss he’d felt that night. Noiz wasn’t particularly troubled by the damage, but it was a lie to say that he felt nothing at all when he caught sight of it. But the way Aoba was treating it now looked as if he was cradling an extremely precious treasure that Noiz once deemed as an embarrassment.

Sure, bringing Aoba over to Germany had once made Noiz think if he’d done the best decision for the both of them. Even when he proposed, the thought of if he was taking the right step still haunted him to no end. But Aoba obviously saw through him.

 

Of course he’d see through him. He was the one man who had brought him up to who he was today with his own hands after all. He was sure that he was in good hands now, marrying the person whom he choose.

 


	24. firm kiss [Koujaku x Noiz]

Koujaku was quick to realize that Noiz was nothing but a man filled with unpredictable mysteries. He first knew him as an indifferent brat who was too oblivious to his surrounding, completely discourteous and someone he could never get along with. When they got to know each other better, he came to realize that perhaps there was something else behind those seemingly impassive eyes; perhaps something that could trigger _something_ out of his expectation box. He was no person to probe on the matter, let alone demanding for an answer. All he ever needed was a confession to soothe the rampant need to _know_ from beneath his chest.

That was when he realized that he was stepping over the line; and the reason behind that intense need to know told him that he was probably signing himself up for something dangerously alluring.

He couldn’t figure out since when did he started observing every one of Noiz’s behaviour, be it the expression – if there’s any – on his face or the way he spoke. He forgotten when he’d started looking way too much into the way Noiz’s eyes darted away with mild disinterest whenever he was exposed to something that was none of his concern; or the way he unconsciously played with his rabbit cubes while having his ears concentrated on everything anyone had to say. He never knew how these tiny details would help him understand a person better – nonverbal form of interaction was the vaguest way to decipher another person, after all. But luckily, Noiz’s behaviour was consistent, one intriguing part of his that had Koujaku stutter a little when the realization hit him in the head. It was something _unpredictable_ he’d discovered about Noiz and it did nothing but reigniting the dim hope within him that Noiz could, possibly, be a more than an unpredictable mystery.

It was a few months and more awkward – sometimes forceful – personal interactions later that Koujaku was assured that Noiz was more than what he initially thought he was. And it was another year when Noiz had returned the favour, confirming Koujaku’s doubt and ultimately showing a tiny agreement of exposing himself to the older man.

“You should’ve grabbed an umbrella.” Koujaku’s voice wasn’t intimidating, wasn’t reprimanding him but when he spoke, Noiz could undoubtedly feel a sense of indefinite warm from within him, making the dampness on his skin almost non-existent before he looked up and returned Koujaku’s gaze with an unconcerned one of his own.

Koujaku stood right in front of him, his red-coloured umbrella held high as he looked down at him, at where he was sitting under the shelter of an antique shop.

“It doesn’t matter,” he dismissed, and was about to look away when Koujaku crouched and pulled him up with a one-hand, powerful grasp on the arm.

“What are you—“

“C’mon.”

If he was a tad more analytical, perhaps he could’ve figured out the ambiguous meaning behind Koujaku’s one-word answer.

So, drowned in profused curiosity, he allowed Koujaku to drag him out of the shelter of the shop, right into the shelter of his umbrella as they took quick pace out of the streets and into one that he knew was heading towards the older man’s house.

“Stay here.”

The moment they stepped into Koujaku’s room, Koujaku discarded the umbrella outside the house, guided Noiz to sit on his bed before he disappeared into what seemed like a bathroom, leaving Noiz to look around the space with great interest. This was the first time he was here and as expected, it was neat, every corner filled with great details that shouted nothing but of Koujaku but yet, there was this slight anguish within him that he couldn’t get rid of; something that reminded him greatly of when he’d first caught sight of Koujaku giving him a stare – which he quickly looked away when Noiz noticed it – when he was wrapping his own wounds on the hand.

He’d gotten gaze of pity and wrath before but he’d never once found himself being stared at from a perspective of empathy.

“Here you go.” When Koujaku came back, he threw a towel at him, hitting him directly on the face before he could come back to his senses quick enough to dodge it.

He did nothing, only fixing his gaze at Koujaku the entire time, until Koujaku sat beside him that he fidgeted and looked away, finally focusing his attention on the towel.

“What? Do you need help with drying yourself up?” His voice suggested nothing but a sarcastic remark and it drew a smirk out of Noiz, causing him to finally pick the towel up as he started to wipe the water off his skin.

It was silence for a long while; Koujaku merely stared at Noiz, like how he usually did, unconsciously or not while Noiz helped himself with the cleaning up, intensely aware of the gaze Koujaku was shooting at him.

“What?” he finally asked when he was done with drying the whole of his limb, scowling at Koujaku when the other leaned towards him, capturing his gaze.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you,” Koujaku started, voice small yet clear. “You could open up to me more, you know? Since we aren’t as how we were anymore.”

The suggestion caught Noiz in surprise. It wasn’t something he could respond out of a whim like this and he would’ve looked away if Koujaku hadn’t been stopping him by grasping onto his chin.

“Or you hadn’t make up your mind yet?” he teased, trying to memorize the small surprised reaction that he’d drawn out of Noiz from his words alone. It couldn’t help but reminding himself of how _young_ Noiz looked at this very moment: how his eyes elicited a hint of lost and inquisitiveness and how he was obviously trying to respond with something – a comeback, probably – but failing wretchedly.

Their relationship didn’t happen in a whim, either. It was a lot of wall-hitting and a lot of aggression that’d ultimately led to a moment of obstinate realization.

But they couldn’t stop there; there was no way Koujaku would allow their steps to halt there. If Noiz wasn’t sure of what the next step should be, then _he_ , as the other half of their relationship, should jump in and give him a hand.

The kiss started soft and light, he could feel Noiz tremble ever so slightly in his arms, urging him to hold him on the waist, a weak attempt to support him. When he pushed harder, he let out a relieved sigh when he realized that Noiz had returned his affection, his hands on his thighs, his lips pushing back with equal strength. And finally, when he engulfed Noiz in a passionate, firm kiss, he brought the whole of him into his arms, feeling Noiz returning his passion by grasping onto his body as he opened his mouth to allow Koujaku’s entrance.

This was one thing he’d discovered as he dug deeper into the treasure box of unpredictability of Noiz: that his actions often spoke louder than words; and Koujaku was fine with it, especially knowing how this particular trait was something that hit home for him.

 


	25. kiss in the rain [Desire x Reason]

Desire was everything Aoba hadn’t expected. Despite knowing how reckless he could be, Aoba sometimes found himself gaping at Desire, completely lost for words when he did just one thing that Aoba would have _never_ imagined him doing. He wouldn’t say that he knew one hundred percent of everything of Desire – he was the one persona he was too overawed to face after all. But now that Desire was very much alive, speaking and moving like any other person would, he thought that perhaps it was about time he picked himself up and properly understood the person that was also him at long last.

He’d tried to ask Desire things – often ended up having himself being stared at while he tried to appear as unpretentious as he could – and most of the times, he’d find himself being cornered by Desire as a retaliation to his persistent questions. He could feel a slight barrier between them, despite their countless sharing of emotional and physical passion. And occasionally, he’d find himself being pushed away, as if there was _something_ that Desire hadn’t found the chance – or courage – to tell him. No matter how he was to probe on it, Desire’s intention to tell him was as faint as air; and it troubled him greatly.

It was an unfair game, he quickly concluded. Desire knew _everything_ about him and even though he knew that it was just a matter of time before he finally peeled those very thick layers off his separated persona, it still hurt to feel as if he was purposefully being shut out of a world which they were supposed to share.

And he could do nothing but wait – until Desire finally decided to spill the beans out at him. And he’d wait, until Desire trusted him _fully_ , like how he was trying to trust him completely himself.

They never had curfew. One thing Aoba knew for sure about Desire was how much he _hated_ to be restrained. He never nagged him to come home, and he tried his best not to ask too much whenever Desire took his leave whenever. But yet, like now, he’d find himself asking questions after questions about Desire’s whereabouts. Sometimes, he’d get a hunch where Desire would be, a privilege he presumed their once shared identity hold. And sometimes, like now, when he got a sudden rapid increase of heartbeats and feeling as if his nerves were running on an insane rampage, he couldn’t help but worry. He knew that Desire, despite not having a body of his own for the most of his life, knew best about how to take care of himself. Heck, he even took care of _Aoba_ when he was in deep trouble back then. But, he also knew that Desire, despite being extremely attentive himself, was never one who understood how common sense worked in a perfectly _normal_ world.

He clenched his fists on his thighs. Loud thunders resonated from a distance away. Although it was merely 15:00 the sky had fell dark as he let out quiet sighs in the solitude darkness of his room.

“Ren, do you remember if he brought an umbrella out with him earlier?”

Ren perked his ears up, wagging his tail as he stood, attempting to search for his own memory.

“I don’t remember seeing him taking anything out with him when he went out earlier,” he responded after a while, only to be returned by Aoba’s hefty sigh.

“I’m going out,” he said docilely as he stood up from his bed, slinging his bag across his shoulder and grabbing an umbrella at the doorway before he thanked Ren for looking after the house for him.

He’d reminded him countless times. But he doubted he ever listened to him anyway. This occurrence was the best proof of it.

Running his way down the street, he looked around, frequently staring up to check on the condition of the weather. This was bad. Any time now, heavy rain would start pouring, supplemented by loud thunderstorms. Aoba wasn’t the best person to deal with this kind of weather but it was the last of his concern now as he agitatedly searched in every alley he remembered seeing Desire in.

No sign of him. At all.

Hearing his own heartbeats in his ears, it was when he heard a loud thump that was a sudden breakneck beat of his heart that he halted his steps, his alertness intensified tenfold. He thought he heard something – a voice – and he turned around, trying to locate the sound. It sounded like his own voice, but deeper, and it didn’t need too long for him to figure out exactly _whose_ voice was this.

_Where_? That was the only word he could hear in his head. Picking up his pace again, he tried to focus, as much as he could, on the voice in his head before he heard something else that had him intuitively opening up the umbrella to cover his head.

It had started raining, which didn’t help him in his searching quest at all.

He swallowed down his throat. He could still vaguely hear the voice in his head and all he could do was sprint wherever his legs brought him.

It was a few minutes of running around the place when he finally came to a stop in a clear space outside of the town, away from the buzz, just to let out a smile of relief when that more-than-familiar shadow came into his line of sight.

“He—“ He was about to call him, but the closer he got to him, the finer his vision became and before he knew it, he found his word stuck in his throat. Desire was right there, hands in his jacket’s pockets as he gazed upwards, letting the rain fall on his face. He seemed to be in his own thoughts and all Aoba could do was taking vigilant steps towards him, only stopping when he was close enough to shield him together under the same umbrella.

“You’ll fall sick at this rate, you know?” His voice was gentle, but loud enough for Desire to hear him in the midst of the loud downpour.

Despite knowing that Aoba was standing right next to him, Desire only looked away when his vision was disturbed by the umbrella. Communicating with him had been hard-hitting. Aoba had yet to find out the best way to make him speak and his impression of him all this while was that he’d only speak when he wanted to and there was no way he could force words out of his mouth if all he ever wanted was ignorance.

Smiling, Aoba inched himself closer, entangling their arms together and pulled them together, skin pressed against skin.

“What?” Desire finally spoke, shooting Aoba with a sideway glance at the same time.

“Nothing,” Aoba grinned cheekily. “Let’s go home?”

Desire said nothing, neither did he move an inch.

There was a weird tension between them that Aoba couldn’t define properly. Desire had never been like this to him before and it did nothing but worry him more. He was about to say something when Desire struggled out of his grasp, turning around just to give him a sudden, firm hug, catching Aoba off guard as the umbrella slipped out of his hand.

“H-hey! Wait a minute, we’re both going to—Aoba?”

He could feel a slight shiver, and before he could even react, Desire had lifted his face, light-brown pair of eyes met its mirror before he leaned forward and engulfed Aoba in a deep kiss – one that had Aoba gasping for air when Desire’s tongue intruded his mouth.

When they first shared intimate contact, Aoba fell into a state of surrealism. He couldn’t quite explain how it felt to see someone as similar as himself, giving him touches that felt exactly the same as his own skin. For a moment, he thought he was experiencing a dream – one that was too good to be true – and if he was to let Desire go for even one second he’d find himself waking up in his bed, alone, with no Desire by his side. But across time, he learned that he was, in fact, _not_ alone – that this was real and this was the reality he was to share with this equally _real_ person who was feverishly indulging in him at this very moment.

He wondered if Desire could read minds? If he was feeling the same insecurity as Aoba did? And he pondered if that was the reason why Desire often kept things to himself – simply because he was afraid that to believe in this too-good-to-be-true reality would only push him back into another reality that was when he shared one body with Aoba.

When they separated their kiss, lips wet with a mix of saliva and rain water, Aoba let out a chuckle, a heavy stone lifted off his chest before he ruffled Desire on the hair.

“Let’s go home?” he said again. And this time, Desire nodded, giving him the smirk he was more than familiar with before he intertwined their fingers.

He was sure that this tension between them was temporary. If there was one thing about Desire that he was completely certain of, it was the fact that he could _never_ let his qualms go unsettled.

And sure enough, the next time when they were to, once again, share intimacy in their very private space, Desire gave him an expression that spelled of nothing but _desire_ and right before he was lured into a whirlpool of passion that had him casting his sanity aside, he was now perfectly sure that this was real. Because he’d heard it, loud and clear, when Desire had muttered into his ear before he was clouded by his own moans:

“ _I’ll exist with you, in you, as long as both of us live_.”

And that was all he needed to know that their life would go on, in this very reality, with each other.

 


	26. back kiss [Clear x Aoba]

It was nothing but ecstasy one year into living with a new person under the same roof. Clear was a delightful addition to the Seragaki household. Not only that he had been a great help when it came to managing chores, his existence itself was like light so bright it was more than enough to lift the mood up no matter in which corner of the house he was in. It was the positivity that he’d spread throughout the space that had made a difference; but above all, it was his decision to be part of Aoba’s life that had made Aoba felt as if the sunlight he’d encountered for the rest of his life was an illusion of its own.

He was indeed, an existence that Aoba held closely to his heart; and there was no way he’d allowed himself to lose him after almost losing him once a year back.

And that was perhaps why he was so persistent with checking him out every time he had the chance. Clear had reassured him for countless times that he’d definitely tell Aoba if he felt something wrong but Aoba had, in turn, affirmed that it’d be too late if he was to tell him only after it happened. Clear’s single-minded intention was only to comfort Aoba and to calm his tension nerves down but he also knew that no matter what he was to say, there was no way Aoba would take his words into heart, especially knowing how overly concerned his boyfriend could be.

So one day after shower, he found himself dragged into Aoba’s room again, found himself settling to sit by the bed when Aoba closed the door and returned with a towel in his hand.

“But you checked yesterday!” Clear exclaimed, surprised with the sudden enthusiasm.

“I just want to make sure.” Aoba’s voice didn’t hold the usual hint of rebuke Clear often captured whenever he pushed him in for a check-up; instead, it was small and even slightly low-spirited, urging Clear to hold back whatever he had to say and allowing Aoba to do whatever he wanted to do.

So, keeping quiet, he sat on the floor, staring at every one of Aoba’s action, noticing how edgy he was; and when Aoba finally sat in front of him, he asked, as calm as he could,

“Aoba-san, is something wrong?”

He knew he’d hit the right spot based on the small hitch of breath Aoba gave out the moment he heard the question. Something must have happened, and the fact that he hadn’t noticed it despite being by Aoba’s side for the most of the time made him doubt if he was even observant enough towards him in the first place.

Aoba didn’t answer at first. Merely giving him a smile, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his fair, uneven skin colour before he gave out a sigh.

“I had a dream that you went missing again,” he confessed, causing Clear to brighten his eyes.

So this was what it was.

“Haha! Don’t worry, Aoba-san! I’m here! I won’t go anywhere again!”

He was serious and he knew Aoba knew it. But the visual Aoba had seen in his dream was obviously vivid if not he wouldn’t be frowning and doubting like what he was doing now.

Caressing a thumb against Aoba’s cheekbone, Clear smiled, waited until Aoba fixed his gaze on him that he continued,

“Like you told me, my home is here, I don’t intend to go anywhere.”

Aoba seemed to have noticed how overly jumpy he was. Letting out a bitter smile, he shook his head, took Clear’s hand off his face before he raised his voice,

“That aside, let’s start with your maintenance, shall we?”

“Huh? But you just—“

“Doesn’t hurt to be sure, right?” Aoba smirked. “Now turn over, I’m gonna check on that tiny patch I discovered yesterday. You _sure_ you didn’t slip in the toilet? It’s fine to admit, you know?”

“I didn’t!”

He knew it was Aoba’s attempt to lighten the gloomy mood he’d unintentionally created between them but he also knew that Aoba was genuinely concerned about him – it was something he was eternally grateful of.

So, despite being vocal about his reluctance, Clear turned his back towards Aoba, presenting the whole of his back at him when he felt a soft material against his shoulder that was the towel.

“Seems like it’s not going to return to normal here.”

He knew Aoba was referring to the uneven skin tone the frenetic repair had given him. He’d told Aoba about his own self-doubt before and he thought he would eventually get used to seeing his own reflection in the mirror but even after a year, his own physical appearance would still haunt him when it entered his line of sight and there was nothing else he could do but waiting for the impact to subside.

“Does it bother you?” he asked instead, while Aoba scrubbed the towel gently and unhurriedly against his skin.

“Not at all,” Aoba replied almost immediately. “It’s a proof of battle and seeing it always reminds me how much I should cherish you after almost losing you.”

Aoba always had a way with words and it was something Clear could never attain, despite how much more outspoken he was than his boyfriend.

With a smile, he nodded, now feeling a completely different sensation within him as he closed his eyes, attempting to retain the warmth he just felt from beneath his chest as much as possible.

It was when he felt a _different_ sensation on his back that he snapped his eyes open, lifted his head up and was about to turn around before Aoba hold onto his body, locking him .

“It’s quite a sight here,” Aoba mumbled against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. “But you’re here, Clear. And that’s all that matters.”

It was something that Aoba had been unceasingly telling him for the past year whenever he spotted a hint of uncertainty on Aoba’s face but now that he was reminding him again, now, he could physically feel the weight lifted off his chest as he turned around to face Aoba.

“Next time, Aoba-san should let me do maintenance too!” he grinned gleefully, just to be returned by a surprised expression.

“Wait, it’s okay! I don’t need any of those! I’m perfectly normal!”

That was more than enough to tell Clear that Aoba had registered his message loud and clear. And with another gaudy smile, he launched himself towards Aoba, hugging him firmly in his arms, his laughter still booming in Aoba’s ears when they tumbled and fell onto the floor.

Perfectly human or not, it didn’t matter; what mattered was the heart, and Clear was sure that Aoba would be there to remind him again and again whenever tiny hints of uncertainty started bubbling within him.

 


	27. chest kiss [Koujaku x Mizuki]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koujaku wears an unrighteous tattoo all over his body; Mizuki is a tattoo artist. Coincidence? I don’t think so (･∀･)

Wearing a bodiful of tattoos would sound like an extremely magnificent idea if the person’s soul and flesh weren’t Koujaku’s. He’d heard praises, dismissed them, tried to ignore them, and never wanted to speak about them if he could. None knew of the reason behind Koujaku’s torrential body marks; many speculated them to be a shoutout of dominance, of territorial. Koujaku never denied any of those theories, never admitted to them either. And eventually, all that was left about Koujaku’s beautiful yet sinful body scars was nothing more than a perplexity.

He’d never wanted to unveil his marks if he could. But Mizuki was his best friend; and above all, a buddy who was a _tattoo artist_. It was just a matter of time before the other brought the matter up. Koujaku knew that Mizuki was giving him time to tell him; he wouldn’t even mind if Koujaku never told him ever. But his perplexed gaze when his tattoos flashed past his eyes told Koujaku that it wasn’t fair for him either. So when he noticed Mizuki’s eyes again, he let out a heavy sigh, calling out to Mizuki, startling the tattoo artist at the same time.

“When would you be free to take a look at them, huh?” Koujaku asked in an almost joking manner. But there was this vague hint of doubt in his voice that urged Mizuki to shook his hands.

“No, no, it’s fine!” he said. “Well, you know, old habits die hard.”

Koujaku hesitated for another few moments while Mizuki went back to drowning the remaining of the drink down his throat. 

“That’s not answering my question,” he said, stern. Mizuki almost choked on his drink but he looked up at Koujaku nevertheless. The initial uncertainty had vanished in his eyes, replaced instead by a sense of genuine request.

He sat up, smiling. “Does tomorrow sound good to you?”

He’d suggested it, but as soon as he sat in the parlour, he immediately questioned his own mindset when he raised the suggestion. Was he completely ready to expose these _sins_  right in front of his best friend, just like that?

Mizuki didn’t seem to be giving him any time to regret any further though. In the next second, he appeared in the room, gloves on as he sat opposite Koujaku.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything,” Mizuki grinned upon realizing Koujaku’s hesitance. “I’m only taking a good look at them…” he trailed off, attention gradually shifting to scrutinize the pattern now still partly veiled behind Koujaku’s kimono.

Noticing the sign, Koujaku relaxed his muscles, lifting a hand to pull his clothing off, revealing his torso completely.

“Wow, this is…” Mizuki started. He reached out a finger, attempting to trace the black swirling pattern but as soon as he touched Koujaku’s skin, Koujaku jolted, almost jumping off the seat. “Sorry, does it hurt?”

“Ah, no. No, it doesn’t,” Koujaku stuttered. He’d never allowed anyone to touch his tattoo like this, let alone allowing an obviously professional tattoo artist to examine it. 

“This looks strangely familiar though,” Mizuki continued, wholly perplexed with the marks. “The curves, the intensity of inking, this is just… wow.”

At one point, Koujaku closed his eyes, no longer able to contain the loud heartbeats in his ears. What ultimately forced him to snap his eyes open was when he felt a soft, warm sensation against his chest, something that was way too different from the texture of latex he’d felt from earlier.

“Looks like you’ve gone through an agonizing experience.”

He heard Mizuki mumbling against his skin; and once again, regrets pooled within his chest, making it hard to breathe. It wasn’t a remorse stemmed from the exposing of his sinful marks; but it was a self-reproach caused by the exposing of his deepest excruciation, just like that, right in front of his best friend.

 


End file.
